OSHA Inspection: VA ELECTRICAL CONTRACTORS LLC

Issued

Nov 3, 2015

Abate by

Nov 9, 2015

Penalty

Initial $2,700 · Current $1,620 Reduced

Hazardous substances S103

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1910.134(d)(1)(i): Selection of appropriate respirators was not based on the respiratory hazard(s) to which the worker was exposed and user factors that affect respirator performance and reliability:  At Moore-Hill Hall on the University of Texas campus in Austin, Texas, on or about July 2, 2015 and in times prior thereto and thereafter, the employer did not provide and ensure use of respiratory protection when employees were using hammer drills to drill holes in concrete containing as much as 20% silica, exposing employees to the inhalation hazards of silica-containing materials.

Issued

Nov 3, 2015

Abate by

Nov 9, 2015

Penalty

Initial $0 · Current $0

Hazardous substances S103

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1910.134(d)(1)(iii): The employer did not identify and evaluate the respiratory hazard(s) in the workplace; including a reasonable estimate of employee exposures to respiratory hazards and identification of the contaminant's chemical state and physical form: (Construction Reference 1926.103)  At Moore-Hill Hall on the University of Texas campus in Austin, Texas, on or about July 2, 2015 and in times prior thereto, the employer did not provide an assessment of the levels of respirable dust when employees were using hammer drills to drill holes in concrete without use of respiratory protection or engineering controls such as wet methods or dust capture, exposing employees to the inhalation hazards of silica-containing materials.

Issued

Nov 3, 2015

Abate by

Nov 9, 2015

Penalty

Initial $2,700 · Current $1,620 Reduced

Hazardous substances 0577C104S103

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: (Construction Reference: 1926.59)  a) For work performed at Moore-Hill Hall on the University of Texas campus in Austin, Texas, on or about July 2, 2015 and in times prior thereto, the employer did not implement its written hazard communication program in that it did not inform employees in the precautions to be taken to protect against silica dust exposure while engaged in such activities as, but not limited to, dry-drilling concrete, exposing employees to the inhalation hazards of silica-containing materials.  b) For work performed at Moore-Hill Hall on the University of Texas campus in Austin, Texas, on or about July 2, 2015 and in times prior thereto, the employer did not implement the multi-employer jobsite provisions in the written hazard communication program in its Jobsite Safety Manual in that it did not inform employees in the precautions to be taken to protect against exposure to hazardous dusts generated by contractors engaged in such activities as, but not limited to, demolition and/or installation of materials such as sheetrock, wall plaster/ stucco, and tile mud mix and mortar, exposing employees to the inhalation hazards of materials containing silica, Portland cement, and calcium sulfate dihydrate.

Issued

Nov 3, 2015

Abate by

Nov 9, 2015

Penalty

Initial $0 · Current $0

Hazardous substances S103

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1926.21(b)(2): The employer did not instruct each employee in the recognition and avoidance of unsafe conditions and the regulations applicable to his/her environment to control or eliminate any hazards or other exposure to illness or injury:  For work performed at Moore-Hill Hall on the University of Texas campus in Austin, Texas, on or about July 2, 2015 and in times prior thereto, the employer did not instruct each employee in the recognition of silica exposure hazards while drilling concrete containing as much as 20% silica, and in appropriate work practices to reduce potential silica dust exposures, such as use of dust capture systems on hammer drills for overhead drilling and use of wet methods where feasible, and use of appropriate respiratory protection, exposing workers to the inhalation hazards of silica-containing materials.