OSHA Inspection: METALLURGICAL PROCESSING, INC.

Issued

Jul 10, 2015

Penalty

Initial $2,100 · Current $1,155 Reduced

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1910.106(e)(9)(iii): Combustible waste material and residues in a building or unit operating area were not kept to a minimum, stored in covered metal receptacles and disposed of daily:  PVD DEPARTMENT:  On or about January 15, 2015, cotton gloves are wetted with isopropyl alcohol and used to wipe parts, carousels, and vacuum furnace gaskets.  After use, the gloves were stored in open plastic waste receptacles after use.

Issued

Jul 10, 2015

Abate by

Aug 26, 2015

Penalty

Initial $3,500 · Current $1,925 Reduced

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1910.124(g)(2): Employees who  worked with liquids that could burn, irritate, or otherwise harm their skin were not provided with an emergency shower and eye-wash station close to the dipping and coating operation:  STRIPPING ROOM:          On or about January 15, 2015, the employer routinely used 30% hydrogen peroxide to strip titanium nitride coating from off-specification parts.  This concentration of hydrogen peroxide is corrosive to eyes and skin.  No eye wash or emergency shower was available in the Stripping Room.

Issued

Jul 10, 2015

Penalty

Initial $3,500 · Current $1,925 Reduced

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1910.132(d)(1): The employer did not assess the workplace to determine if hazards were present, or were likely to be present, which necessitated the use of personal protective equipment:  On or about January 15, 2015, the employer had not performed a hazard assessment to identify potential hazards and appropriate personal protective equipment to be worn by employees throughout the facility.  Issues were specifically noted in the following areas:  A.  STRIPPING ROOM   Employees who dispense and use 30% hydrogen peroxide were not required to wear chemical splash goggles or face shields to prevent them from being splashed in the face/eyes by the corrosive chemical.  B.  PVD DEPARTMENT  Employees who use isopropyl alcohol wear cotton gloves that absorb the alcohol and may cause skin irritation as a result of prolonged contact of the wet gloves with their skin.

Issued

Jul 10, 2015

Penalty

Initial $0 · Current $0

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1910.133(a)(1): Protective eye equipment was not required where there was a reasonable probability of injury that could be prevented by such equipment:  STRIPPING ROOM:  On or about January 15, 2015, employees who dispense 30% hydrogen peroxide for the purpose of stripping coatings from parts were not required to wear chemical splash goggles or face shields to protect themselves from getting the chemical in their eyes.

Issued

Jul 10, 2015

Abate by

Aug 26, 2015

Penalty

Initial $0 · Current $0

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1910.138(b): The employer did not base selection of appropriate hand protection on an evaluation of the performance characteristics of the hand protection relative to the tasks to be performed, conditions present, duration of use, and the hazards and potential hazards identified:  PVD DEPARTMENT:  On or about January 15, 2015, employees were directed by management to wear cotton gloves rather than gloves made of a non-permeable material when using isopropyl alcohol to clean parts before loading them onto carousels, loosening carousel parts, and wiping furnace gaskets.

Issued

Jul 10, 2015

Abate by

Aug 26, 2015

Penalty

Initial $2,800 · Current $1,540 Reduced

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:  PRODUCTION AREAS:  On or about January 15, 2015, a written respiratory protection program was not established for employees required to wear half-face elastomeric respirators while performing the following tasks:    A.  Conducting abrasive blasting using aluminum oxide or an alloy containing nickel, chromium, and cobalt B.  Cleaning and repairing furnaces C.  Painting and TIG or Arc welding

Issued

Jul 10, 2015

Abate by

Aug 26, 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:  PRODUCTION AREAS:  On or about January 15,2015, several employees are required by the employer to wear elastomeric half-face respirators during their regular duties.  None of the employees have been evaluated medically to ensure that they are healthy enough to wear a respirator.  Employees wore respirators while performing abrasive blasting using aluminum oxide or an alloy containing nickel, chromium, and cobalt; cleaning furnaces; TIG or Arc welding; and painting or cutting.

Issued

Jul 10, 2015

Abate by

Aug 26, 2015

Penalty

Initial $0 · Current $0

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1910.134(k)(1): The employer did not provide effective training that covered the required elements in 1910.134(k)(1)(i) through 1910.134(k)(1)(vii):  PRODUCTION AREAS - BLASTING ROOM, PITS, FURNACES:  On or about January 15, 2015, employees who were required to were tight-fitting elastomeric respirators had not been trained in the proper procedures for determining when and how to use their respirators.

Issued

Jul 10, 2015

Penalty

Initial $3,500 · Current $1,925 Reduced

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1910.146(c)(4): When the employer decided that its employees would enter permit spaces, the employer did not develop and implement a written permit space entry program that complied with 29 CFR 1910.146:  PRODUCTION AREA:  On or about January 15, 2015, the employer did not ensure that the company's confined space entry program was implemented by maintenance employees who entered pits and furnaces identified as permit-required confined spaces.  The employees did not complete permits prior to entry.  The hazards associated with the confined spaces identified by the employer include asphyxiation, exposure to flammable gases or materials, potential limited air exchange, and temperature extremes.

Issued

Jul 10, 2015

Penalty

Initial $3,500 · Current $1,925 Reduced

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1910.146(d)(4)(viii): Under the permit-required confined space program required by 29 CFR 1910.146(c)(4), the employer did not provide, at no cost to the employees, rescue and emergency equipment needed to comply with 29 CFR 1910.146(d)(9):  PRODUCTION AREA:  On or about January 15, 2015, employees who were required to enter confined spaces did so without safety harnesses or other rescue/retrieval equipment.

Issued

Jul 10, 2015

Abate by

Aug 26, 2015

Penalty

Initial $0 · Current $0

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1910.146(k)(1)(ii): When designating rescue and emergency services pursuant to paragraph (d)(9), the employer did not evaluate the prospective rescuer's ability, in terms of proficiency with rescue-related tasks and equipment, to function appropriately while rescuing entrants from the particular space or types of spaces identified:  PRODUCTION AREA:  On or about January 15, 2015, the employer indicated that the local fire department would be called in the event that rescue services were required during a confined space entry.  The employer had not contacted the fire department to verify that they were capable of providing those services.

Issued

Jul 10, 2015

Penalty

Initial $3,500 · Current $1,925 Reduced

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1910.146(e)(1): Before entry was authorized, the employer did not document the completion of measures required by 29 CFR 1910.146(d)(3) by preparing an entry permit:  PITS AND FURNACES IN THE PRODUCTION AREA:  On or about January 15, 2015, employees regularly entered confined spaces, including but not limited to the Building 4 Pit, without completing entry permits.

Issued

Jul 10, 2015

Penalty

Initial $3,500 · Current $1,925 Reduced

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1910.146(g)(1): The employer did not provide training so that all employees whose work was regulated by 29 CFR 1910.146 (permit required confined spaces) acquired the understanding, knowledge, and skills necessary for the safe performance of the duties assigned under 29 CFR 1910.146:  PITS AND FURNACES IN PRODUCTION AREAS:  On or about January 15, 2015, maintenance employees who were required to perform confined space entry as part of their regular duties did not receive training pertaining to the company's written confined space entry program.

Issued

Jul 10, 2015

Penalty

Initial $3,500 · Current $1,925 Reduced

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1910.176(c): Storage areas were not kept free from accumulation of materials that constituted hazards from tripping, fire, explosion or pest harborage:  A.  METALS LAB:  On or about February 13, 2015, incompatible chemicals were observed to be stored together in a closed cabinet.  Picric acid and nitric acid were stored in a plastic cabinet.  The safety data sheet for picric acid states that it is flammable and incompatible with oxidizers.  Nitric acid is an oxidizer; its safety data sheets states it is incompatible with combustible materials.  B.  STRIPPING ROOM:  On or about January 15, 2015, combustible materials were stored within 12 inches of a 55-gallon drum of 30% hydrogen peroxide.  C.  STRIPPING ROOM:  On or about January 15, 2015, after dispensing 30% hydrogen peroxide into a 5-gallon plastic pail and transferring it to the vessel used for stripping, any excess was returned to the original drum without concern for possible contamination of the larger drum.

Issued

Jul 10, 2015

Penalty

Initial $3,500 · Current $1,925 Reduced

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1910.1200(e)(1): The employer did not develop, implement, and/or maintain at the workplace a written hazard communication program which describes how the criteria specified in 29 CFR 1910.1200(f), (g), and (h) will be met:  COMPANY-WIDE:  On or about January 15, 2015, the employer had not maintained a written Hazard Communication Program addressing the hazardous chemicals used at the facility including, but not limited to: 30% hydrogen peroxide, isopropyl alcohol, picric acid, and liquid nitrogen.

Issued

Jul 10, 2015

Penalty

Initial $0 · Current $0

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1910.1200(f)(6): The employer did not ensure that each container of hazardous chemicals in the workplace was labeled, tagged or marked with the product identifier, signal word, hazard statement(s), pictogram(s), precautionary statement(s) and name, address, and telephone number of the chemical manufacturer, importer, or other responsible party.  COMPANY-WIDE:  A.  On or about January 15, 2015, unlabeled spray bottles reportedly containing isopropanol were observed at two work stations in the PVD Department.  Employees used alcohol to wipe parts and loosen tight fittings on the carousels.  B.  On or about January 20, 2015, a spray bottle containing a dark liquid was observed in the Stripping Room.  The only label or marking on the bottle was a "Windex" manufacturer's label.  Management stated that the liquid is a rust preventative oil.  C.  On or about January 20, 2015, a plastic Maxwell House coffee container was observed to have brushes sticking out through a hole in the top.  The brushes were used to apply condursal to parts to mask any areas that were not to be coated.  Management stated that the coffee container was used to hold xylene and that the brushes were stored in the xylene to keep them soft between uses.

Issued

Jul 10, 2015

Penalty

Initial $0 · Current $0

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1910.1200(h)(1): Employees were not provided effective information and training on hazardous chemicals in their work area at the time of their initial assignment and whenever a new hazard that the employees had not been previously trained about was introduced into their work area:  COMPANY-WIDE:  On or about January 15, 2015, the employees had not been trained with respect to the hazardous chemicals that are present in their work areas.  Chemicals used during normal business operations include, but are not limited to: isopropyl alcohol, 30% hydrogen peroxide, picric acid, hydrofluoric acid, xylene, and argon.

Issued

Jul 10, 2015

Abate by

Aug 26, 2015

Penalty

Initial $0 · Current $0

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1910.134(c)(2)(i): Respirator users were not provided with the information contained in Appendix D to 29 CFR 1910.134 when the employer determined that any voluntary respirator use was permissible:  COMPANY-WIDE:  On or about January 15, 2015, the employer allowed the voluntary use of N-95 filtering facepieces (dust masks) without providing the training specified in Appendix D of the Respiratory Protection Standard.

Issued

Jul 10, 2015

Abate by

Aug 26, 2015

Penalty

Initial $0 · Current $0

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1910.134(f)(2): Employee(s) using tight-fitting facepiece respirators were not fit tested prior to initial use of the respirator, whenever a different respirator facepiece (size, style, model or make) was used, and at least annually thereafter:   PRODUCTION AREAS:  On or about January 15, 2015, employees wore respirators while performing abrasive blasting using aluminum oxide or an alloy containing nickel, chromium, and cobalt; cleaning furnaces, TIG or Arc welding; and painting or cutting.  None of the employees had been fit-tested.