OSHA Inspection: AURA II, INC.

Issued

Mar 12, 2015

Abate by

Apr 7, 2015

Penalty

Initial $2,000 · Current $1,500 Reduced

Hazardous substances 2290

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1910.119(c)(1): The employer did not develop a written plan of action regarding the implementation of the employee participation required by this paragraph.      In and adjacent to the Acid Room, the quantity of sulfur dioxide exceeded the threshold quantity listed in Appendix A:   (a) No written plan of action had been developed to assure employee participation in the development of process hazard analyses and in other elements of the process safety management program.

Issued

Mar 12, 2015

Abate by

Apr 7, 2015

Penalty

Initial $2,000 · Current $0 Reduced

Hazardous substances 2290

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1910.119(d): The employer did not complete a compilation of written process safety information pertaining to the equipment in the process.     In and adjacent to the Acid Room, the quantity of sulfur dioxide exceeded the threshold quantity listed in Appendix A:  (a) The employer had not developed a written compilation of process safety information on hazardous chemicals, technology, and equipment involved in the sulfur dioxide process.

Issued

Mar 12, 2015

Abate by

Apr 7, 2015

Penalty

Initial $2,000 · Current $0 Reduced

Hazardous substances 2290

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1910.119(e)(1): The employer did not perform an initial process hazard analysis (hazard evaluation) on processes covered by 29 CFR 1910.119:     In and adjacent to the Acid Room, the quantity of sulfur dioxide exceeded the threshold quantity listed in Appendix A:      (a) A process hazard analysis of the sulfur dioxide process had not been performed.

Issued

Mar 12, 2015

Abate by

Apr 7, 2015

Penalty

Initial $2,000 · Current $0 Reduced

Hazardous substances 2290

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1910.119(f)(1): The employer did not develop and implement written operating procedures that provide clear instructions for safely conducting activities involved in each covered process consistent with the process safety information:     In and adjacent to the Acid Room, the quantity of sulfur dioxide exceeded the threshold quantity listed in Appendix A:    (a)     Written operating procedures had not been developed for the sulfur dioxide process.

Issued

Mar 12, 2015

Abate by

Apr 7, 2015

Penalty

Initial $2,000 · Current $0 Reduced

Hazardous substances 2290

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1910.119(g)(1)(ii): In lieu of initial training for those employees already involved in operating a process on May 26, 1992, the employer did not certify in writing that the employee had the required knowledge, skills, and ability to safely carry out the duties and responsibilities as specified in the operating procedures.     In and adjacent to the Acid Room, the quantity of sulfur dioxide exceeded the threshold quantity listed in Appendix A:    (a) The employer had not certified in writing that the Chemical Technician in the Acid Room, who has been operating the sulfur dioxide process since prior to May 26. 1992, had the required knowledge, skills, and ability to safely carry out the duties and responsibilities as specified in the operating procedures.

Issued

Mar 12, 2015

Abate by

Apr 7, 2015

Penalty

Initial $2,000 · Current $0 Reduced

Hazardous substances 2290

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1910.119(j)(2): The employer did not establish written procedures to maintain the on-going integrity of process equipment:      In and adjacent to the Acid Room, the quantity of sulfur dioxide exceeded the threshold quantity listed in Appendix A:    (a)  No written procedures had been established and implemented to maintain the mechanical integrity of the sulfur dioxide system including storage tanks, hose connectors, pumps, motors, piping systems, and associated valves in and adjacent to the Acid Room.

Issued

Mar 12, 2015

Abate by

Apr 7, 2015

Penalty

Initial $2,000 · Current $1,500 Reduced

Hazardous substances 07901430144018601903

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 where respirators were necessary to protect the health of the employee or for required respirator use:     (a) No written respiratory protection program had been established for respirator use.   Hazardous chemicals used and present in this facility included nitric acid, hydrochloric acid, sulfur dioxide, and nitrogen dioxide.  Escape respirators were present in the workplace for emergency use.     (b) No worksite-specific procedures, in accordance with section (d) of this standard, were developed for respirator filter cartridge change-out schedule.     (c) Medical evaluation procedures, in accordance with section (e) of this standard, were not implemented to assure that all respirator users were physically able to use the full face respirator.     (d) Site-specific procedures were not established for emergency escape respirators, in accordance with section (h) of this standard, to assure that these emergency respirators were maintained ready for use and that defective respirators were either repaired or discarded.

Issued

Mar 12, 2015

Abate by

Apr 7, 2015

Penalty

Initial $0 · Current $0

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)  The plant manager used a full face respirator equipped with combination cartridges when performing tasks in the Acid Room and had not been provided a medical evaluation.

Issued

Mar 12, 2015

Abate by

Apr 28, 2015

Penalty

Initial $0 · Current $0

Hazardous substances 143018602290

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1910.134(d)(3)(iii)(B)(2): The employer did not implement a change schedule for respirators not equipped with an End of Service Life Indicator that would ensure cartridges were changed before the end of their service life:  (a) No change schedule had been developed and implemented for half-face and full-face respirators, used by workers performing work operations in the Acid Lab, to assure that the acid gas cartridges on these respirators were changed before the end of their service life.  Chemicals used in the Acid Lab included Sulfur Dioxide, Nitric Acid, and Hydrogen Chloride.

Issued

Mar 12, 2015

Penalty

Initial $0 · Current $0

Hazardous substances 1440

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1910.134(h)(4): Respirators that failed an inspection or were otherwise found to be defective were not removed from service and discarded or repaired:  (a) On or around December 12, 2014, in the Cyanide Area, two emergency use respirators, which had been labeled "Condemned", were still present in the work place and had not been discarded or repaired.

Issued

Mar 12, 2015

Abate by

Apr 7, 2015

Penalty

Initial $2,000 · Current $0 Reduced

Hazardous substances 2290

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1910.1200(h)(3)(iii): Employee training did not include the measures employees can take to protect themselves from chemical hazards, including specific procedures the employer had implemented to protect employees from exposure to hazardous chemicals, such as appropriate work practices, emergency procedures and personal protective equipment to be used:    a) Inadequate hazard communication training had been provided regarding appropriate work practices regarding safe storage of sulfur dioxide compressed gas cylinders; in that, workers stored sulfur dioxide cylinders together with combustible materials, such as propane.