OSHA Inspection: APEX BLASTING INC.

Issued

Nov 14, 2014

Abate by

Dec 19, 2014

Penalty

Initial $2,800 · Current $1,400 Reduced

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1910.95(b)(1): When employees are subjected to sound exceeding those listed in Table G-16, feasible administrative or engineering controls will be utilized. If such controls fail to reduce sound levels within the levels of Table G-16, personal protective equipment will  be provided and used to reduce sound levels within the levels of the table.                a)  At the 40,000 hydro-blast machine; an employee performed hydro-blasting was exposed to noise levels of 158.8% of OSHA permissible exposure level. 158.8% is equivalent to 95.29 dBA (8-hour time weighted average). This noise survey was conducted during a normal work shift on the hydro-blaster for a sampling period of 259 minutes on 10/22/14. Zero exposure was assumed for the unsampled period of 221 minutes.             b) At the 20,000 hydro-blast machine; an employee performed hydro-blasting was exposed to noise levels of 267% of OSHA permissible exposure level. 267% is equivalent to 108.91 dBA (8-hour time weighted average). This noise survey was conducted during a normal work shift on the hydro-blaster for a sampling period of 270 minutes on 10/22/14. Zero exposure was assumed for the unsampled period of 210 minutes.

Issued

Nov 14, 2014

Abate by

Jan 4, 2015

Penalty

Initial $2,800 · Current $1,400 Reduced

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1910.95(c)(1): The employer did not administer a continuing, effective hearing conservation program, as described in paragraphs (c) through (o) of this section, whenever employee noise exposures equal or exceed an 8-hour time-weighted average sound level (TWA) of 85 decibels measured on the A scale (slow response) or, equivalently, a dose of fifty percent.         At the facility; the employer did not develop and implement a hearing conservation program for employees who were exposed to continuous noise exposures that exceeded an 8-hour time-weighted average of 90 decibels or an equivalent dose of one hundred percent.

Issued

Nov 14, 2014

Abate by

Jan 4, 2015

Penalty

Initial $2,800 · Current $1,400 Reduced

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1910.95(g)(1): The employer did not establish and maintain an audiometric testing program as provided in this paragraph by making audiometric testing available to all employees whose exposures equal or exceed an 8-hour time-weighted average of 85 decibels.         At the facility, the employer did not conduct or maintain an audiometric testing program when employees were exposed to continuous noise exposures equaled or exceeded an 8-hour time-weighted average of 90 decibels.

Issued

Nov 14, 2014

Abate by

Dec 19, 2014

Penalty

Initial $340 · Current $170 Reduced

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1910.134(c)(1): In any workplace where respirators are necessary to protect the health of the employee or whenever respirators are required by the employer, the employer did not establish and implement a written respiratory protection program with worksite-specific procedures. The program will be updated as necessary to reflect those changes in workplace conditions that affect respirator use. The employer did not include in the program the following provisions of this section, as applicable:         Inside of the bay shop; the employer did not develop and implement a respiratory protection program for employees who were required to wear a 3M half face respirator, model 6200 equipped with 3M cartridges #960921.

Issued

Nov 14, 2014

Abate by

Jan 4, 2015

Penalty

Initial $340 · Current $170 Reduced

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1910.132(d)(1): The employer did not assess the workplace to determine if hazards are present, or are likely to be present, which necessitate the use of personal protective equipment (PPE).      Inside of the bay; the employer did not assess the hazards in the workplace where employees wore a 3M half face respirator, model 6200 equipped with 3M cartridges #960921while painting metal frame racks, exposing employees to inhalation hazards.

Issued

Nov 14, 2014

Abate by

Jan 4, 2015

Penalty

Initial $340 · Current $170 Reduced

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1910.1200(e)(1): Employers did not develop, implement, and maintain at each workplace, a written hazard communication program.          At the bay shop; the employer did not develop and implement a hazard communication program when employees use chemicals such as but not limited to red oxide primer, batch #06237, exposing employees to inhalation hazard.