OSHA Inspection: CARRARA STEEL, INC.

Issued

Aug 10, 2015

Abate by

Jan 25, 2016

Penalty

Initial $3,500 · 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 29 CFR 1910.9(c) through (o) whenever employee noise exposures equal or exceed an 8-hour time-weighted average sound level of 85 decibels measured on the A scale, or equivalently a dose of fifty percent:       a.)    Carrara Steel, Inc. 110 Payne Ave, Erie, Pa 16503 - Production areas, on or about April 30th, 2015:  The employer did not institute a continuing and effective hearing conservation program when employees noise exposure exceeded an 8 hour time weighted average sound level of 85 dbA:    A.) An employee in the fitting area performing grinding/drilling operations was exposed to noise at a level of 83.12 % of the allowable limit during a 455 minute sampling period on April 30, 2015; exposure calculations included a zero increment for the 25 minutes not sampled.  This exposure is equivalent to sound level of 88.6 dbA for the dose and time of the employee exposure.      B.) An employee in the fitting/welding area performing drilling/welding tasks was to noise at a level of 101.5 % of the allowable limit during a 458 minute sampling period on April 30, 2015; exposure calculations included a zero increment for the 22 minutes not sampled.  This exposure is equivalent to a sound level of 90.0 dbA for the dose and time of the employee exposure.      C.) An employee in the welding area performing air chiseling and welding operations was exposed to noise at a level of 423.9% of the allowable limit during a 420 minute sampling period on April 30, 2015; exposure calculations included a zero increment for the 60 minutes not sampled.  This exposure is equivalent to sound level of 100.4 dbA for the dose and time of the employee exposure.

Issued

Aug 10, 2015

Abate by

Jan 25, 2016

Penalty

Initial $0 · Current $0

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1910.95(d)(1): When information indicated that any employee's exposure equaled or exceed the 8-hour time-weighted average of 85 decibels, the employer did not develop and implement a monitoring program:       a.) Carrara Steel, Inc. 110 Payne Ave, Erie, Pa 16503-Production areas, on or about April 30th, 2015:, and times prior thereto:  The employer had neither developed a noise monitoring program nor conducted noise monitoring for employees potentially exposed to an 8-hr TWA of 85 dBA.

Issued

Aug 10, 2015

Abate by

Jan 25, 2016

Penalty

Initial $0 · Current $0

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1910.95(g)(5)(i): The employer did not establish, within 6 months of an employee's first exposure at or above the action level, a valid baseline audiogram against which subsequent audiograms can be compared:       a.)    Carrara Steel, Inc. 110 Payne Ave, Erie, Pa 16503-Production areas, on or about April 30th, 2015:, and times prior thereto:  The employer had not established valid baseline audiograms within 6 months of employees' first exposure at or above the action level of 85dBA for employees overexposed to noise as described in Citation 1 Item 1a.

Issued

Aug 10, 2015

Abate by

Jan 25, 2016

Penalty

Initial $0 · Current $0

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1910.95(k)(1): The employer did not train each employee who is exposed to noise at or above an 8-hour time-weighted average of 85 decibels in accordance with the requirements of 29 CFR 1910.95(k). The employer did not institute a training program and ensure employee participation in the program:       a.) Carrara Steel, Inc. 110 Payne Ave, Erie, Pa 16503 - Production areas, on or about April 30th, 2015:  The employer did not institute, and ensure employee participation in, a Hearing Conservation training program for all employees who were exposed to noise that exceeded an 8 hour time weighted average sound level of 85 dBA for employees overexposed to noise as described in Citation 1 Item 1a.

Issued

Aug 10, 2015

Abate by

Jan 25, 2016

Penalty

Initial $0 · Current $0

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1910.95(i)(5): The employer did not ensure proper initial fitting and supervise the correct use of all hearing protectors:      a.)    Carrara Steel, Inc. 110 Payne Ave, Erie, Pa 16503 - Production areas, on or about April 30th, 2015:  The employer did not ensure that available hearing protectors properly fit each affected employee for employees overexposed to noise as described in Citation 1 Item 1a.

Issued

Aug 10, 2015

Abate by

Jan 25, 2016

Penalty

Initial $3,500 · Current $1,400 Reduced

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1910.95(b)(1): When employees were subjected to sound exceeding those listed in Table G-16, feasible administrative or engineering controls were not utilized:       a.)    Carrara Steel, Inc. 110 Payne Ave, Erie, Pa 16503-Production areas, on or about April 30th, 2015:  The employer did not institute feasible administrative or engineering controls when employees noise exposure exceeded an 8 hour time weighted average sound level of 90 dbA.  An employee in the welding area performing air chiseling and welding operations was exposed to noise at a level of 413.5 % of the permissible eight-hour noise exposure of 90 dbA, during a 420 minute sampling period on April 30, 2015; exposure calculations included a zero increment for the 60 minutes not sampled.  This exposure is equivalent to sound level of 100.2 dbA for the dose and time of the employee exposure.

Issued

Aug 10, 2015

Abate by

Dec 31, 2015

Penalty

Initial $3,500 · Current $1,400 Reduced

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1910.106(e)(2)(ii)(b)(2): The quantity of Category 2, 3 or 4 flammable liquid located outside of an inside storage room or storage cabinet in a building or in any one fire area of a building exceeded 120 gallons:       a.)    Carrara Steel, Inc. 110 Payne Ave, Erie, Pa 16503-Detail area-Southwest corner of the building, on or about April 24th, 2015 and times prior thereto: Approximately 440 gallons of a category 2 flammable liquid including but not limited to, Shopcoat Primers-Red and Gray (Sherman Williams brand) and approximately 96 gallons of a category 3 flammable liquid including but not limited to, Kensol 30 were stored outside of an inside storage room or storage cabinet.

Issued

Aug 10, 2015

Abate by

Dec 31, 2015

Penalty

Initial $4,900 · Current $1,960 Reduced

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1910.106(e)(6)(i): Adequate precautions were not taken to prevent the ignition of flammable vapors:         a.)    Carrara Steel, Inc. 110 Payne Ave, Erie, Pa 16503- Spray area, on or about April 24th, 2015 and times prior thereto: Adequate precautions were not taken to prevent the ignition of flammable vapors in that cigarette butts were identified on the floor in the spray area.

Issued

Aug 10, 2015

Abate by

Jan 25, 2016

Penalty

Initial $2,800 · Current $1,120 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.) Carrara Steel, Inc. 110 Payne Ave, Erie, Pa 16503-Painting area, on or about April 24th, 2015 and times prior thereto:  Employees voluntarily wore half mask air-purifying respirators (3M brand 7500 series respirator with organic vapor cartridges) during painting operations on various carbon steel beams/trusses.  Employees were not provided with medical evaluations prior to the use of the half mask filtering facepiece respirators.

Issued

Aug 10, 2015

Abate by

Jan 25, 2016

Penalty

Initial $0 · Current $0

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1910.134(c)(2)(i): The employer did not determine if the voluntary use of a respirator did not in itself create a hazard:       a.) Carrara Steel, Inc. 110 Payne Ave, Erie, Pa 16503 - Painting area, on or about April 24th, 2015 and times prior thereto:  Employees voluntarily wore half mask air-purifying respirators (3M brand 7500 series respirator with organic vapor cartridges) during painting operations on various carbon steel beams/trusses.  Employees that voluntarily used half mask respirators were not provided with the information in Appendix D to this section.

Issued

Aug 10, 2015

Abate by

Jan 25, 2016

Penalty

Initial $0 · Current $0

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1910.134(c)(2)(ii): The employer did not establish and implement those elements of a written program necessary to ensure that any employee using a respirator voluntarily was medically able to use that respirator, and that the respirator was cleaned, stored, and maintained so that its use does not present a health hazard to the user:        a.) Carrara Steel, Inc. 110 Payne Ave, Erie, Pa 16503-Painting area, on or about April 24th, 2015 and times prior thereto:  Employees voluntarily wore half mask air-purifying respirators (3M brand 7500 series respirator with organic vapor cartridges) during painting operations on various carbon steel beams/trusses.  The employer did not establish portions of a Respiratory Protection Program that covered medical evaluations and respirator maintenance and care.

Issued

Aug 10, 2015

Abate by

Sep 3, 2015

Penalty

Initial $2,800 · Current $1,120 Reduced

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1910.1026(i)(4)(i): Employees were allowed to consume food or beverages at a worksite where chromium (VI) was present; however, the employer did not ensure that the eating and drinking areas were maintained as free as practicable of chromium (VI):       a.)    Carrara Steel, Inc. 110 Payne Ave, Erie, Pa 16503-Painting area, on or about April 30th, 2015 and times prior thereto:  Wipe samples were obtained from the lunch room tables for Hexavalent Chromium.  Analytical results indicated the presences of Hexavalent Chromium, as follows:       1)      Lunch room, General electric microwave surface inside of microwave:  0.0960 ug Hexavalent Chromium.

Issued

Aug 10, 2015

Abate by

Jan 25, 2016

Penalty

Initial $0 · Current $0

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1910.1200(h)(3)(iv): Employee training did not include the details of the hazard communication program developed by the employer, including an explanation of the labeling system and the material safety data sheet, and how employees can obtain and use the appropriate hazard information:       a.)    Carrara Steel, Inc. 110 Payne Ave, Erie, Pa 16503 - On or about April 30th , 2015 and times prior thereto:  Employees were working with and around hazardous substances including, but not limited to Sherman-Williams brand Shopcoat Primer, Kensol 30, welding fumes of various metals.  Employees did not receive training on the new labeling elements and safety data sheet format by the December 1, 2013 deadline noted in CFR 1910.1200 (j)(1) of the Hazard Communication 2012 Standard.