OSHA Inspection: PRIMEX PLASTICS CORPORATION

Issued

Dec 31, 2014

Abate by

Mar 5, 2015

Penalty

Initial $4,900 · Current $2,450 Reduced

Hazardous substances E200

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 the hazard of potential fire and explosion because methods (i.e. explosion isolation or explosion suppression) were not designed on processing equipment and an air material separator (dust collectors) to minimize damage that would occur in the event of a dust deflagration, explosion or other fire hazard:       a) Loading Dock Area: An air material separator (Donaldson Torit Dust Collector, Model DFO 3-6) used for conveying plastic resins and powder dust, produced from process equipment (blending machine), was located inside the building without the required isolation devices to prevent fires and deflagrations from propagating from the dust collector back through the inlet ductwork to the blending equipment, on or about 8/14/14, 10/1/14, 12/4/14, 12/12/14.    b) Loading Dock Area: An air material separator (Donaldson Torit Dust Collector, Model DFO 3-6), used for conveying dust produced from process equipment (blending machine), was not bonded and grounded to prevent static electricity, on or about 8/14/14, 10/1/14, 12/4/14, 12/12/14.      c) Loading Dock Area: The Exhaust air of an air material separator (Donaldson Torit Dust Collector, Model DFO 3-6), used for conveying dust produced from process equipment (blending machine), was not discharged outside of the building, on or about 8/14/14, 10/1/14, 12/4/14, 12/12/14.     d) Blending Department: A total of eight processing equipment (blending machines) used to blend various powders and thermoplastic material was not bonded and grounded to prevent static electricity, on or about 8/14/14, 10/1/14, 12/4/14, 12/12/14.       e) Blending Department: The employer had not completed a compatibility test for various materials entering the processing equipment (blending machines) used to blend various powders and thermoplastic material, on or about 8/14/14, 10/1/14, 12/4/14, 12/12/14.     f) Blending Department: The employer did not develop written housekeeping procedures to minimize fugitive dust settling on workstations, floors and horizontal surfaces, on or about 8/14/14, 10/1/14, 12/4/14, 12/12/14.

Issued

Dec 31, 2014

Abate by

Mar 5, 2015

Penalty

Initial $2,100 · Current $1,050 Reduced

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1910.134(e)(1): The employer did not provide a medical evaluation to determine the employee's ability to use a respirator, before the employee was fit tested or required to use the respirator in the workplace:    a) Blending Department: The employer requires employees to wear N95 filtering facepiece masks for employees conducting blending operations, and a medical evaluation was not provided to determine the employee's ability to use a respirator, on or about 8/6/14.    b) Extruding Department: The employer requires employees to wear N95 filtering facepiece masks for employees conducting extruding operations, and a medical evaluation was not provided to determine the employee's ability to use a respirator, on or about 8/6/14.

Issued

Dec 31, 2014

Abate by

Mar 5, 2015

Penalty

Initial $4,900 · Current $2,450 Reduced

Hazardous substances E200

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1910.307(c): Electrical installations. Equipment, wiring methods, and installations of equipment in hazardous (classified) locations shall be intrinsically safe, approved for the hazardous (classified) location, or safe for the hazardous (classified) location.     a) Blending Department: Employees who process, handle and collect various plastic resins, pigments, powders and dyes that have fire and explosion use electrically-powered cleaning devices (Milwaukee Heavy-Duty Commercial Wet/Dry Vacuum Cleaner), to remove Class II Combustible dust from process equipment and the vacuum cleaner was not intrinsically safe, and approved for a hazardous classified location, on or about, 8/14/14, 10/1/14, 12/4/14, 12/12/14.    b) Blending Department: Employees process, handle and collect various plastic resins, pigments, powders and dyes that have fire and explosion hazards and electrical equipment including, but not limited to, breaker panel boxes, disconnect switches, receptacles, and fluorescent light fixtures, were not dust-tight ignition-proof and approved for a hazardous classified location, on or about, 8/14/14, 10/1/14, 12/4/14, 12/12/14.

Issued

Dec 31, 2014

Abate by

Feb 5, 2015

Penalty

Initial $3,500 · Current $1,750 Reduced

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1910.1200(h)(3)(ii): Employee training did not include the physical and health hazards of the chemicals in the work area:    a) Blending Department: Employees who blend combustible powders and resins, including, but not limited to, oil yellow 93, impact polystyrene, macrolex green 5B, and calcium stearate, were not trained on the physical and health hazards associated with combustible dust, on or about 8/6/14.

Issued

Dec 31, 2014

Penalty

Initial $0 · Current $0

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1910.95(i)(3): Employees were not given the opportunity to select their hearing protectors from a variety of suitable hearing protectors provided by the employer:  a) Extruding Department: The employer requires the use of hearing protection while employees perform extruding, and only one brand of hearing protection was offered, on or about 8/14/14.

Issued

Dec 31, 2014

Abate by

Feb 5, 2015

Penalty

Initial $0 · Current $0

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1910.134(c)(1): A written respiratory protection program that included the provisions in 29 CFR 1910.134(c)(1)(i) - (ix) with worksite specific procedures was not established and implemented for required respirator use:  a) Blending Department: The employer requires employees to wear N95 filtering facepiece dust masks during blending operations and cleaning and maintenance of the Donaldson Torit Dust Collection system and the employees were not included in a written respiratory protection program, on or about 8/6/14.