OSHA Inspection: NATURE'S CHOICE, INC.

Issued

Aug 4, 2015

Abate by

Aug 28, 2015

Penalty

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

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1910.23(d)(1): Flights of stairs having four or more risers were not equipped with a standard railing as specified in paragraphs (d)(1)(i) through (v) of this section:    (a) Sorting Area, on or about and at times preceding to May 4, 2015, the 8-step stairway to bulk hopper was not equipped with a standard railing system, exposing employee to a 8-foot fall hazard.

Issued

Aug 4, 2015

Abate by

Aug 28, 2015

Penalty

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

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1910.37(a)(3): Exit route(s) were not kept free and unobstructed:    (a) AModest hand bagging machine, on or about and at times preceding to May 4, 2015, a 20 inch high conveyor obstructed the exit of employees conducting bagging operations.

Issued

Aug 4, 2015

Abate by

Aug 28, 2015

Penalty

Initial $4,200 · Current $2,100 Reduced

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:    (a) Plant Facility, on or about and at times preceding to, May 4, 2015, safety glasses were not utilized in areas where mulch was packaged and bagged, creating possibility of eye injuries from wood fragments becoming embedded in eye.

Issued

Aug 4, 2015

Abate by

Aug 28, 2015

Penalty

Initial $2,100 · Current $1,050 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:     (a) Plant Facility, on or about and at times preceding to May 4, 2015, a written respiratory protection program was not developed for the required use of 3M 8210 N95 respirator.

Issued

Aug 4, 2015

Abate by

Aug 28, 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:  Note:  The employer may discontinue an employee's medical evaluations when the employee is no longer required to use a respirator.  (a) Plant Facility, on or about and at times preceding to May 4, 2015, employee medical evaluations were not conducted for the required use of 3M 8210 N95 respirator.

Issued

Aug 4, 2015

Abate by

Aug 28, 2015

Penalty

Initial $0 · Current $0

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1910.134(f)(1): The employer did not ensure that employee(s) required to use a tight-fitting facepiece respirator passed the appropriate qualitative fit test (QLFT) or quantitative fit test (QNFT):   (a) Plant Facility, on or about and at times preceding to May 4, 2015, fit testing not conducted for the required use of 3M 8210 N95 respirator for bagging, stacking, mixing, and transporting of mulch product.

Issued

Aug 4, 2015

Abate by

Aug 28, 2015

Penalty

Initial $0 · Current $0

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1910.134(k): The employer did not provide comprehensive, understandable training which did not occur annually and/or more often if necessary:  (a) Plant Facility, on or about and at times preceding to May 4, 2015, a respiratory protection employee training program was not developed for the required use of 3M 8210 N95 respirator.

Issued

Aug 4, 2015

Abate by

Aug 28, 2015

Penalty

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

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1910.147(c)(1): The employer did not establish a program consisting of an energy control procedure, employee training and periodic inspections to ensure that before any employee performed any servicing or maintenance on a machine or equipment where the unexpected energizing, startup or release of stored energy could occur and cause injury, the machine or equipment shall be isolated from the energy source and rendered inoperative:    (a) Plant Facility, on or about and at times preceding to May 4, 2015, a lockout program had not been established for workplace equipment such as, but not limited to: AModest Hand Bagger, Wulf Automatic Wrapper, Hammer Automatic Bagger, and Mullers Palletizer.

Issued

Aug 4, 2015

Abate by

Aug 28, 2015

Penalty

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

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1910.178(k)(1): The brakes of highway truck(s) were not set and wheel chocks placed under the rear wheels to prevent truck(s) from rolling:     (a) Plant Facility, on or about and at times preceding to May 4th, 2015, wheels on semi-trailer boarded by company forklifts were not chocked prior to loading operations were initiated.

Issued

Aug 4, 2015

Abate by

Aug 28, 2015

Penalty

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

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1910.178(l)(1)(i): The employer did not ensure that each powered industrial truck operator is competent to operate a powered industrial truck safely, as demonstrated by the successful completion of the training and evaluation specified in this paragraph (l):    (a) Plant Facility, on or about and at times preceding to May 4th, 2015, operators of TMC and Tusk forklifts were not trained on the safe operation of forklifts when they were operated with defective tires and inoperable backup alarm.

Issued

Aug 4, 2015

Abate by

Aug 28, 2015

Penalty

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

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1910.178(p)(1): Powered industrial truck(s) found to be in need of repair, defective, or in any way unsafe had not been  taken out of service until restored to safe operating condition(s):    (a) Plant Facility, on or about and at times preceding to May 4th, 2015, Tusk forklift was being operated with defective tires and an inoperable backup alarm.

Issued

Aug 4, 2015

Abate by

Aug 28, 2015

Penalty

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

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1910.178(q)(7): Industrial trucks were not examined before being placed in service:    (a) Plant Facility, on or about and at times preceding to May 4th, 2015, Tusk forklift was being operated with defective tires and an inoperable backup alarm.

Issued

Aug 4, 2015

Abate by

Aug 28, 2015

Penalty

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

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1910.219(c)(2)(i): All exposed part(s) of horizontal shafting seven (7) feet or less from floor or working platform were not protected by stationary casing(s) enclosing shafting completely or by trough(s) enclosing sides and top or sides and bottom of shafting:    (a) Screening/Mixing Area, on or about, and at times preceding to May 4, 2015, 7 inch horizontal rotating shaft was not guarded, exposing employees to entanglement hazards.

Issued

Aug 4, 2015

Abate by

Aug 28, 2015

Penalty

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

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1910.243(c)(1): Abrasive wheel(s) were used on portable grinder(s) which were not provided with safety guard(s) meeting the requirements specified in 29 CFR 1910.243(c)(1) through (c)(4).     (a) Maintenance Shop, on or about and at times preceding to, May 4, 2015, portable DeWalt hand grinder serial #603241 had an unguarded 4 inch abrasive wheel which was being used for smoothing welds.

Issued

Aug 4, 2015

Abate by

Aug 28, 2015

Penalty

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

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1910.253(b)(2)(ii): Assigned storage spaces for cylinders was not located away from elevators, stairs, or gangways where cylinders could not be knocked over or damaged by passing or falling objects, or subject to tampering by unauthorized persons:    (a) Maintenance Shop, on or about and at times preceding to May 4, 2015, fuel gas storage cylinders stored near doorway were not secured to prevent them from being inadvertently knocked over and/or damaged.

Issued

Aug 4, 2015

Abate by

Aug 28, 2015

Penalty

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

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1910.253(b)(4)(iii): Oxygen cylinders in storage were not separated from fuel-gas cylinders or combustible materials (especially oil or grease), a minimum distance of 20 feet (6.1 m) or by a noncombustible barrier at least 5 feet (1.5 m) high having a fire-resistance rating of at least one-half hour:    (a) Maintenance Shop, on or about and at times preceding to, May 4, 2015, oxygen cylinders were stored adjacent to fuel gas cylinders in doorway.

Issued

Aug 4, 2015

Abate by

Aug 28, 2015

Penalty

Initial $4,200 · Current $2,100 Reduced

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1910.305(b)(2)(i): Pull boxes, junction boxes, and fittings were not provided with covers approved for the purpose:    (a) Throughout the Plant Facility, on or about May 4, 2015, junction boxes were viewed with missing cover plates, exposing employees to electrical shocks hazards.

Issued

Aug 4, 2015

Abate by

Aug 28, 2015

Penalty

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

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1910.334(a)(2)(i): Portable cord and plug connected equipment and flexible cord sets (extension cords) were not visually inspected before use on any shift for external defects (such as loose parts, deformed and missing pins, or damage to outer jacket or insulation) and for evidence of possible internal damage (such as pinched or crushed outer jacket):    (a) Maintenance Shop, on or about and at times preceding to May 4, 2015, extension cord used for power tools had a damaged outer sheathing, exposing employees to electrical shock hazards.

Issued

Aug 4, 2015

Abate by

Aug 28, 2015

Penalty

Initial $0 · Current $0

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1910.37(b)(7): Each exit sign did not have the word "Exit" in plainly eligible letters not less that six inches (15.2 cm) high, with the principal strokes of the letters in the word "Exit" not less than three fourths of an inch (1.9 cm) wide:  (a) Plant Facility, on or about May 4, 2015, exit doors in warehouse facility were not identified as being exits.

Issued

Aug 4, 2015

Abate by

Aug 28, 2015

Penalty

Initial $0 · Current $0

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1910.157(c)(1): Portable fire extinguishers were not mounted, located and identified so that they were readily accessible without subjecting the employees to injuries.   (a) Plant Facility, on or about May 4, 2015, fire extinguishers in plant facility were not identified as to their location.

Issued

Aug 4, 2015

Abate by

Aug 28, 2015

Penalty

Initial $0 · Current $0

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1910.1200(e)(1): Employer had not developed or implemented a written hazard communication program included the requirements outlined in 29 CFR 1910.1200(e)(1)(i) and (e)(1)(ii):   (a) Plant Facility, on or about and at times preceding to May 4, 2015, a written hazard communication program had not been developed for workplace chemicals, such as but not limited to: propane, oxygen, acetylene, hydraulic fluid, and mulch.

Issued

Aug 4, 2015

Abate by

Aug 28, 2015

Penalty

Initial $0 · Current $0

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1910.1200(g)(8):   The employer did not maintain in the workplace copies of the required safety data sheets for each hazardous chemical, and did not ensure that they were readily accessible during each work  shift to employees when they were in their work area(s):  (a) Plant Facility, on or about and at times preceding to May 4, 2015, safety data sheets were not maintained for workplace chemicals, such as but not limited to: propane, oxygen, acetylene, hydraulic fluid, and mulch.

Issued

Aug 4, 2015

Abate by

Aug 28, 2015

Penalty

Initial $0 · Current $0

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1910.1200(h): Employees were not provided effective information and training as specified in 29 CFR 1910.1200(h)(1) and -2 on hazardous chemicals in their work area at the time of their initial assignment and whenever a new hazard was introduced:   (a) Plant Facility, on or about and at times preceding to May 4, 2015, employee training had not been conducted on the hazard of workplace chemicals, such as but not limited to: propane, oxygen, acetylene, hydraulic fluid, and mulch.