OSHA Inspection: OPTIMUM NUTRITION, INC.

Issued

2014-10-29 00:00:00

Abate by

2015-12-15 00:00:00

Penalty

Initial $4250.00 · Current $2550.00 Reduced

General-duty citation text

Section 5(a)(1) of the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970: The employer did not furnish employment and a place of employment which were free from recognized hazards that were causing or likely to cause death or serious physical harm to employees in that employees were exposed to combustible protein powder mixture deflagration, explosion, or other fire hazards as a result of working at or near multiple indoor cartridge media-type dust collectors lacking means to prevent employee or minimize employee exposure in the event of an explosion, deflagration, or other uncontrolled fire event.       a. The Donaldson Torit Downflo II cartridge media-type dust collector servicing the Room 3 filling line #9 was located indoors within Production Room 2.  The collector lacked means of 1) explosion protection and 2) deflagration propagation protection (isolation) for upstream and downstream ducting/equipment and the discharge drum.  The collector also returned filtered air back into the building (Production Room 3) without means to prevent the transmission of smoke and flame from a fire or flame front and pressure effects from an internal deflagration.       b. The two Donaldson Torit Downflo II cartridge media-type dust collectors servicing the Room 1 blending operations were located indoors within Production Room 2.  The collectors lacked means of 1) explosion protection and 2) deflagration propagation protection (isolation) for upstream and downstream ducting/equipment and discharge drums.  The collectors also returned filtered air back into the building (Production Room 1) without means to prevent the transmission of smoke and flame from a fire or flame front and pressure effects from an internal deflagration.       c.  The Donaldson Torit Downflo II cartridge media-type dust collector servicing the Room 2 filling lines #s 1-4 was located indoors within Production Room 2.  The collector lacked means of 1) explosion protection and 2) deflagration propagation protection (isolation) for upstream and downstream ducting/equipment and the discharge drum.  The collector also returned filtered air back into the building (Production Room 2) without means to prevent the transmission of smoke and flame from a fire or flame front and pressure effects from an internal deflagration.   Abatement documentation is required for this item in accordance with the requirements of 29 CFR 1903.19(d).

Issued

2014-10-29 00:00:00

Penalty

Initial $2550.00 · Current $1530.00 Reduced

Hazardous substances 9135

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1910.134(a)(2): A respirator was not provided to each employee when necessary to protect the health of such employee:    An employee working on Blender 5 was exposed to skin, eye, and respiratory irritants when overexposed to Total Dust (food dust) at an 8-hour TWA (time weighted average) of 19.4 mg/m3, approximately 1.29 times the OSHA PEL of 15.0 mg/m3, and the employer did not mandate the use of respiratory protection.  The employee was provided a Condor N95 dust mask (filtering facepiece) for voluntary use only.  The sample was collected on 6/12/14 during a 426 minute sampling period; exposure calculations include a zero increment of 54 minutes not sampled.     There is no abatement certification or documentation required for this item.

Issued

2014-10-29 00:00:00

Abate by

2015-03-17 00:00:00

Penalty

Initial $0.00 · Current $0.00

Hazardous substances 9135

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1910.1000(a)(1): Employee(s) were exposed to an airborne concentration of copper dust listed in Table Z-1 in excess of the ceiling concentration of 1.0 mg/m3:    An employee working on Blender 5 was exposed to skin, eye, and respiratory irritation when overexposed to Total Dust (food dust) at an 8-hour TWA (time weighted average) of 19.4 mg/m3, approximately 1.29 times the limit of 15.0 mg/m3. The sample was collected on 6/12/14 during a 426 minute sampling period; exposure calculations include a zero increment 54 minutes not sampled.       Abatement documentation is required for this item in accordance with the requirements of 29 CFR 1903.19(d).

Issued

2014-10-29 00:00:00

Abate by

2015-03-17 00:00:00

Penalty

Initial $0.00 · Current $0.00

Hazardous substances 9135

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1910.1000(e): Feasible administrative or engineering controls were not determined and implemented to achieve compliance with the limits prescribed in 29 CFR 1910.1000(a) through (d):     An employee working on Blender 5 was exposed to skin, eye, respiratory irritation when overexposed to Total Dust (food dust) at an 8-hour TWA (time weighted average) of 19.4 mg/m3, approximately 1.29 times the limit of 15.0 mg/m3 and the employer did not ensure adequate engineering controls were implemented.  The sample was collected on 6/12/14 during a 426 minute sampling period; exposure calculations include a zero increment of 54 minutes not sampled.   Feasible engineering controls include, but are not limited to:   (1) Installation of a local exhaust ventilation system for Blender 5                   Step 1:  Submit to the Area Director a written, detailed plan of abatement outlining a schedule for the implementation of engineering and/or administrative measures to control employee exposure to hazardous substances as referenced in this citation.  This plan shall include, at a minimum, target dates for the following actions which must be consistent with the abatement dates required by this citation:      1.     Evaluation of engineering/administrative control options;  2.     Selection of optimum control methods and completion of design;  3.     Procurement, installation and operation of selected control measures;   4.     Testing and acceptance or modification/redesign of controls.   All proposed control measures shall be approved for each particular use by a competent industrial hygienist or other technically qualified person.      Step 2:  Abatement shall have been completed by the implementation of feasible engineering controls and/or administrative controls upon verification of their effectiveness in achieving compliance.      Date by which Step 1 must be abated:  12/30/14  Date by which Step 2 must be abated:  01/29/15   Abatement documentation is required for this item in accordance with the requirements of 29 CFR 1903.19(d).

Issued

2014-10-29 00:00:00

Penalty

Initial $2550.00 · Current $1530.00 Reduced

Hazardous substances 9135

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1910.134(e)(1): The employer shall provide a medical evaluation to determine the employee's ability to use a respirator, before the employee is fit tested or required to use the respirator in the workplace. The employer may discontinue an employee's medical evaluations when the employee is no longer required to use a respirator.    An employee working on Blender 5 was exposed to skin, eye, and respiratory irritants when overexposed to Total Dust (food dust) at an 8-hour TWA (time weighted average) of 19.4 mg/m3, approximately 1.29 times the OSHA PEL of 15.0 mg/m3 and the employer did not provide a medical evaluation to determine the employee's ability to use a respirator.  The sample was collected on 6/12/14 during a 426 minute sampling period; exposure calculations include a zero increment of 54 minutes not sampled.      There is no abatement certification or documentation required for this item.

Issued

2014-10-29 00:00:00

Penalty

Initial $2550.00 · Current $1530.00 Reduced

Hazardous substances 9135

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1910.134(f)(1): 29 CFR 1910.134(f)(1): The employer did not ensure that employee(s) required to use a tight-fitting facepiece respirator passed the appropriate qualitative fit test (QLFT) or quantitative fit test (QNFT):      An employee working on Blender 5 was exposed to skin, eye, and respiratory irritants when overexposed to Total Dust (food dust) at an 8-hour TWA (time weighted average) of 19.4 mg/m3, approximately 1.29 times the OSHA PEL of 15.0 mg/m3 and the employer did not ensure fit testing was conducted when the use of a respirator was necessary. The sample was collected on 6/12/14 during a 426 minute sampling period; exposure calculations include a zero increment of 54 minutes not sampled.     There is no abatement certification or documentation required for this item.