OSHA Inspection: SOUTHERN LUMBER COMPANY

Issued

2015-10-30 00:00:00

Abate by

2015-12-04 00:00:00

Penalty

Initial $1600.00 · Current $640.00 Reduced

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1910.23(c)(1): Every open-sided floor or platform 4 feet or more above adjacent floor or ground level shall be guarded by a standard railing (or the equivalent as specified in paragraph (e)(3) of this section) on all open sides except where there is entrance to a ramp, stairway, or fixed ladder. The railing shall be provided with a toeboard wherever, beneath the open sides,  a.  On the Creek Shed platforms where employees walk to retrieve wood for customers, there was a 4 1/2 inch to 5 inch opening below the mid rail which did not prevent employees from falling through the gap thereby exposing employees to a trip/fall hazard.

Issued

2015-10-30 00:00:00

Abate by

2015-11-11 00:00:00

Penalty

Initial $0.00 · Current $0.00

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1910.23(e)(1): A standard railing shall consist of top rail, intermediate rail, and posts, and shall have a vertical height of 42 inches nominal from upper surface of top rail to floor, platform, runway, or ramp level. The top rail shall be smooth-surfaced throughout the length of the railing. The intermediate rail shall be approximately halfway between the top rail and the floor, platform, runway, or ramp. The ends of the rails shall not overhang the terminal posts except where such overhang does not constitute a projection hazard.  a.  On the stairway from the entrance door to the basement, the employer did not install a mid rail thereby exposing employees to a fall hazard.  b.  On the stairway from the entrance door to the upper floor, the employer did not install a mid rail thereby exposing employees to a fall hazard.

Issued

2015-10-30 00:00:00

Abate by

2015-11-07 00:00:00

Penalty

Initial $2000.00 · Current $800.00 Reduced

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1910.132(a): Application. Protective equipment, including personal protective equipment for eyes, face, head, and extremities, protective clothing, respiratory devices, and protective shields and barriers, shall be provided, used, and maintained in a sanitary and reliable condition wherever it is necessary by reason of hazards of processes or environment, chemical hazards, radiological hazards, or mechanical irritants encountered in a manner capable of causing injury or impairment in the function of any part of the body through absorption, inhalation or physical contact.  a.  On the site where employees used a chain saw to large pieces of wood, the employer did not provide chaps to protect the legs of the employees thereby exposing them to contact hazards.

Issued

2015-10-30 00:00:00

Abate by

2015-12-04 00:00:00

Penalty

Initial $0.00 · Current $0.00

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1910.132(d)(1): The employer shall assess the workplace to determine if hazards are present, or are likely to be present, which necessitate the use of personal protective equipment (PPE). If such hazards are present, or likely to be present, the employer shall:  29 CFR 1910.132(d)(1)(i): Select, and have each affected employee use, the types of PPE that will protect the affected employee from the hazards identified in the hazard assessment;  a.  On the site where wood was cut with saws, and planers, and chainsaws, the employer did not evaluate and provide personnel protective equipment such as, as but not limited to, eye protection thereby exposing employees to a struck-by hazard.

Issued

2015-10-30 00:00:00

Abate by

2016-01-15 00:00:00

Penalty

Initial $2000.00 · Current $800.00 Reduced

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1910.147(c)(1): Energy control program. The employer shall establish a program consisting of energy control procedures, employee training and periodic inspections to ensure that before any employee performs 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.  On the site where employees changed saw blades and preventative maintenance on machines, the employer did not develop a Lock-out/Tag-out program to train employees the proper way to deenergize the equipment and lockout the equipment properly thereby exposing employees to a struck-by hazard.

Issued

2015-10-30 00:00:00

Abate by

2016-01-15 00:00:00

Penalty

Initial $1600.00 · Current $640.00 Reduced

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1910.178(l)(1)(i): The employer shall 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.  On the site where powered industrial trucks were used to load and unload trucks with material, the employer did not provide classroom training including a test, and obstacle course before requiring employees to operate powered industrial trucks thereby exposing employees to a struck-by hazard.

Issued

2015-10-30 00:00:00

Abate by

2015-11-19 00:00:00

Penalty

Initial $1600.00 · Current $640.00 Reduced

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1910.213(a)(9): All belts, pulleys, gears, shafts, and moving parts shall be guarded in accordance with the specific requirements of 1910.219.   a.  In the sawmill where a Oliver Band saw was used to cut boards, the belt and pulley on the side of the machine was not protected with a fully enclosed guard thereby exposing employees to a caught in hazard.  b.  In the sawmill beside the Westinghouse air compressor, the 16 inch by 6 inch belt and pulley was not guarded with a fully enclosed cover thereby exposing employees to a caught in hazard.  c.  In the sawmill on the left side of the Standard Oil Planer, the belt and pulley were not guarded  beside the planer where employees walked between equipment thereby exposing employees to a struck-by hazard.  d.  In the sawmill on the right side of the Standard Oil Planer, the belt and pulley were not guarded to protect employees from a caught-in/struck-by hazard.

Issued

2015-10-30 00:00:00

Abate by

2015-11-19 00:00:00

Penalty

Initial $2800.00 · Current $1120.00 Reduced

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1910.213(b)(3): On applications where injury to the operator might result if motors were to restart after power failures, provision shall be made to prevent machines from automatically restarting upon restoration of power.  a.  In the saw mill, the Cresent Machine Company Cutoff Saw did not have a magnetic restart for power outages thereby exposing employees to a struck-by hazard in the event of an unexpected start-up.

Issued

2015-10-30 00:00:00

Abate by

2015-11-11 00:00:00

Penalty

Initial $2000.00 · Current $800.00 Reduced

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1910.213(c)(1): Each circular hand-fed ripsaw shall be guarded by a hood which shall completely enclose that portion of the saw above the table and that portion of the saw above the material being cut. The hood and mounting shall be arranged so that the hood will automatically adjust itself to the thickness of and remain in contact with the material being cut but it shall not offer any considerable resistance to insertion of material to saw or to passage of the material being sawed. The hood shall be made of adequate strength to resist blows and strains incidental to reasonable operation, adjusting, and handling, and shall be so designed as to protect the operator from flying splinters and broken saw teeth. It shall be made of material that is soft enough so that it will be unlikely to cause tooth breakage. The hood shall be so mounted as to insure that its operation will be positive, reliable, and in true alignment with the saw; and the mounting shall be adequate in strength to resist any reasonable side thrust or other force tending to throw it out of line.  a.  In the sawmill, the Rockwell table saw used as a hand fed ripsaw did not have a guard over the top of the blade thereby exposing employees to contact hazard.

Issued

2015-10-30 00:00:00

Abate by

2015-11-11 00:00:00

Penalty

Initial $1600.00 · Current $640.00 Reduced

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1910.213(c)(2): Each hand-fed circular ripsaw shall be furnished with a spreader to prevent material from squeezing the saw or being thrown back on the operator. The spreader shall be made of hard tempered steel, or its equivalent, and shall be thinner than the saw kerf. It shall be of sufficient width to provide adequate stiffness or rigidity to resist any reasonable side thrust or blow tending to bend or throw it out of position. The spreader shall be attached so that it will remain in true alignment with the saw even when either the saw or table is tilted. The provision of a spreader in connection with grooving, dadoing, or rabbeting is not required. On the completion of such operations, the spreader shall be immediately replaced.  a.  In the sawmill where a Rockwell hand fed rip saw was used,  the employer did not have a spreader on top of the saw over the blade to prevent the saw blade from pinching the wood and kicking back against the employee thereby exposing employees to a struck-by hazard.

Issued

2015-10-30 00:00:00

Abate by

2015-11-11 00:00:00

Penalty

Initial $0.00 · Current $0.00

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1910.213(c)(3): Each hand-fed circular ripsaw shall be provided with nonkickback fingers or dogs so located as to oppose the thrust or tendency of the saw to pick up the material or to throw it back toward the operator. They shall be designed to provide adequate holding power for all the thicknesses of materials being cut.  a.  In the Sawmill where a Rockwell hand rip saw was used to cut sheets of plywood, the employer did not ensure there were anti-kick back fingers or dogs to prevent the plywood from kicking back and striking the employee thereby exposing the employee to struck-by hazard.

Issued

2015-10-30 00:00:00

Abate by

2015-11-11 00:00:00

Penalty

Initial $2000.00 · Current $800.00 Reduced

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1910.213(g)(2): Each swing cutoff saw shall be provided with an effective device to return the saw automatically to the back of the table when released at any point of its travel. Such a device shall not depend for its proper functioning upon any rope, cord, or spring. If there is a counterweight, the bolts supporting the bar and counterweight shall be provided with cotter pins; and the counterweight shall be prevented from dropping by either a bolt passing through both the bar and counterweight, or a bolt put through the extreme end of the bar, or, where the counterweight does not encircle the bar, a safety chain attached to it.  a.  On the back side of the sawmill, the outside yard cutoff saw would not return to its original position thereby exposing employees to a struck-by hazard.

Issued

2015-10-30 00:00:00

Abate by

2015-11-11 00:00:00

Penalty

Initial $0.00 · Current $0.00

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1910.213(g)(3): Limit chains or other equally effective devices shall be provided to prevent the saw from swinging beyond the front or back edges of the table, or beyond a forward position where the gullets of the lowest saw teeth will rise above the table top.  a.  At the sawmill, the Outside Yard Cutoff saw when pulled forward would extend past the end of the table by at least 8 inches thereby exposing employees to a contact hazard.

Issued

2015-10-30 00:00:00

Abate by

2015-12-17 00:00:00

Penalty

Initial $2800.00 · Current $1120.00 Reduced

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1910.213(i)(1): All portions of the saw blade shall be enclosed or guarded, except for the working portion of the blade between the bottom of the guide rolls and the table. Bandsaw wheels shall be fully encased. The outside periphery of the enclosure shall be solid. The front and back of the band wheels shall be either enclosed by solid material or by wire mesh or perforated metal. Such mesh or perforated metal shall be not less than 0.037 inch (U.S. Gage No. 20), and the openings shall be not greater than three-eighths inch. Solid material used for this purpose shall be of an equivalent strength and firmness. The guard for the portion of the blade between the sliding guide and the upper-saw-wheel guard shall protect the saw blade at the front and outer side. This portion of the guard shall be self-adjusting to raise and lower with the guide. The upper-wheel guard shall be made to conform to the travel of the saw on the wheel.    a.  In the main sawmill where wood was rough cut and shipped out for final use, the Oliver Band saw had 14 inches of the blade unguarded thereby exposing employees to a contact hazard.

Issued

2015-10-30 00:00:00

Abate by

2015-11-11 00:00:00

Penalty

Initial $1600.00 · Current $640.00 Reduced

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1910.303(f)(1): Motors and appliances. Each disconnecting means required by this subpart for motors and appliances shall be legibly marked to indicate its purpose, unless located and arranged so the purpose is evident.  a.  In the sawmill beside the Rockwell Hand fed rip saw, the Cutler Hammer electrical disconnect was not marked with its purpose or what the electrical disconnect was attached to thereby exposing employees to a electrical hazard.

Issued

2015-10-30 00:00:00

Abate by

2015-11-11 00:00:00

Penalty

Initial $2800.00 · Current $1120.00 Reduced

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1910.303(g)(2)(i): Except as elsewhere required or permitted by this standard, live parts of electric equipment operating at 50 volts or more shall be guarded against accidental contact by use of approved cabinets or other forms of approved enclosures or by any of the following means:  a.  In the side room located beside the air compressor, the 220 volt energized electrical panel was not covered with a cabinet cover to protect against accidental contact thereby exposing employees to a electrical hazard.

Issued

2015-10-30 00:00:00

Abate by

2015-11-11 00:00:00

Penalty

Initial $2800.00 · Current $1120.00 Reduced

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1910.305(b)(1)(ii): Unused openings in cabinets, boxes, and fittings shall be effectively closed.  a.  In the Sawmill beside the hand fed rip saw, there was an unused opening in the bottom of the energized electrical disconnect thereby exposing employees to an electrical hazard.  b.  In the main sawmill where boards were cut, the main electrical panel had four missing circuit breakers thereby exposing employees to a electrical hazard.

Issued

2015-10-30 00:00:00

Abate by

2015-11-14 00:00:00

Penalty

Initial $5000.00 · Current $2000.00 Reduced

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1910.305(g)(1)(iv): Unless specifically permitted otherwise in paragraph (g)(1)(ii) of this section, flexible cords and cables may not be used:  29 CFR 1910.305(g)(1)(iv)(A): As a substitute for the fixed wiring of a structure;  a.  In the side room to the mill where equipment was connected to various tools, the employer wired into a temporary cord to supply power to the equipment and the used of temporary wiring was prohibited thereby exposing employees to a electrical hazard.

Issued

2015-10-30 00:00:00

Abate by

2015-11-07 00:00:00

Penalty

Initial $2000.00 · Current $800.00 Reduced

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1910.305(j)(1)(i): Fixtures, lampholders, lamps, rosettes, and receptacles may have no live parts normally exposed to employee contact. However, rosettes and cleat-type lampholders and receptacles located at least 2.44 m (8.0 ft) above the floor may have exposed terminals.  a.  In the Saw mill over the Cutoff Saw, there was a light socket which was energized and did not have a light in the socket thereby exposing employees to an accidental contact with a unguarded lamp socket.