OSHA Inspection: VEYANCE TECHNOLOGIES INC.

Issued

Dec 9, 2014

Abate by

Dec 26, 2014

Penalty

Initial $5,000 · Current $0 Reduced

Hazardous substances 9135

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1910.22(a)(2):  The floor of every workroom was not maintained in a clean and, so far as possible, a dry condition.         (a)  Veyance Technologies, Inc., 1115 Wayne Street, St. Marys, Ohio:  On or about July 01, 2014, the employer did not ensure that the floor near and under the dust collectors in the mixing department were free of accumulation of dust. Laboratory analysis of the dust indicated that it was explosive, exposing employees to hazards from fire and explosion.

Issued

Dec 9, 2014

Abate by

Apr 22, 2015

Penalty

Initial $0 · Current $0

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):       (a)  Veyance Technologies, Inc., 1115 Wayne Street, St. Marys, Ohio:  On or about July 31, 2014, the employer did not ensure that employees manually feeding rubber and chemicals to the Banbury mixers were not exposed to Particulates Not Otherwise Regulated (PNOR) in excess of the permissible exposure limit.  An employee was exposed to PNOR at an 8-hour time weighted average of 24.5 mg/m3 which exceeded the OSHA Permissible Exposure Limit of 15.0 mg/m3 by 163%.       (b)  Veyance Technologies, Inc., 1115 Wayne Street, St. Marys, Ohio:  On or about July 31, 2014, the employer did not ensure that employees manually feeding rubber and chemicals to the Banbury mixers were not exposed to Particulates Not Otherwise Regulated (PNOR) in excess of the permissible exposure limit.  An employee was exposed to PNOR at an 8-hour time weighted average of 15.1 mg/m3 which exceeded the OSHA Permissible Exposure Limit of 15.0 mg/m3 by 101%.    Step 1:  Effective respiratory protection shall be provided and used by exposed employees as an interim protective measure until feasible engineering and / or administrative controls can be implemented, or whenever such controls fail to reduce employee exposure to within permissible exposure limits.  When personal exposure concentrations exceed the maximum allowable concentration for the respirator used, the employer shall ensure employees are protected with a respirator appropriate for the exposure concentration.    Step 2:  Within 60 days 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 the 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 controls options;              2.  Selection of optimum control methods and completion of design              3.  Procurement, installation, and operation of selected control measures; and              4.  Testing and acceptance or modification/redesign of controls    Step 3:  Within 90 days abatement shall have been completed by the implementation of feasible engineering and / or administrative controls upon verification of their effectiveness in achieving compliance.  Feasible engineering controls include but are not limited to: 1. Improve the mechanical ventilation system to capture and remove dust for the workplace.   2. Modify work practices so that dust is not generated while handling the rubber and chemicals. 3. Ensure that the dust collection system on the mixer and associated equipment is leak-tight and does not release dust into the workplace.    Date by which step 1 must be abated: Date by which step 2 must be abated: Date by which step 3 must be abated:    Ultimate responsibility for determining the most appropriate method rests with the employer, given his superior knowledge of the specific conditions at the workplace.