OSHA Inspection: NATURE'S PATH USA II LLC

Issued

May 17, 2016

Abate by

Jun 6, 2016

Penalty

Initial $5,500 · Current $0 Reduced

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1910.146(c)(2): The employer did not inform exposed employees, by posting danger signs or by any other equally effective means, of the existence and location of and the danger posed by the permit spaces:    (a) On or about December 7, 2015, employees entered the jet zone to the Extruder and were not informed of the entanglement and asphyxiation hazards by the posting of signs identifying the area to be a confined space.     (b) On or about November 30, 2015, employees entered the Surge Bin and were not informed of the entanglement and burn hazards by the posting of signs identifying the area to be a confined space.     (c) On or about November 24, 2015, employees entered the jet zone to the Extruder and were not informed of the entanglement and asphyxiation hazards by the posting of signs identifying the area to be a confined space.

Issued

May 17, 2016

Abate by

Jun 6, 2016

Penalty

Initial $7,000 · Current $6,000 Reduced

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1910.146(c)(5)(ii)(C): Employees entered into permit spaces that met the conditions set forth in 29 CFR 1910.146(c)(5)(i) but before an employee entered the space, the internal atmosphere was not tested with a calibrated direct-reading instrument:    (a) On or about December 7, 2015, the employer did not ensure that employees utilized a direct reading air monitoring instrument for oxygen, flammable vapors, flammable gases, and potential toxic air contaminants; prior to entry into the jet zone of the Extruder Line. This exposed employees to suffocation hazards which could result in death.    (b) On or about November 30, 2015, the employer did not ensure that employees utilized a direct reading air monitoring instrument for oxygen, flammable vapors, flammable gases, and potential toxic air contaminants; prior to entry into the Surge Bin of the Extruder Line. This exposed employees to suffocation hazards which could result in death.    (c) On or about November 24, 2015, the employer did not ensure that employees utilized a direct reading air monitoring instrument for oxygen, flammable vapors, flammable gases, and potential toxic air contaminants; prior to entry into the jet zone of the Extruder Line. This exposed employees to suffocation hazards which could result in death.

Issued

May 17, 2016

Abate by

Jun 6, 2016

Penalty

Initial $5,500 · Current $0 Reduced

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1910.146(d)(9): The employer did not develop and implement procedures for summoning rescue and emergency services, for rescuing entrants from permit spaces, for providing necessary emergency services to rescued employees, and/or for preventing unauthorized entry.    (a) On or about November 24, 2015, employees entered the Jet Zone and the employer did not develop and implement procedures to summon rescue and emergency services in the event an employee needed to be retrieved from a confined space. Authorized employees were not provided with equipment and training to rescue employees from confined spaces. This exposed employees to suffocation, entanglement and other hazards which could result in death.

Issued

May 17, 2016

Abate by

Jun 6, 2016

Penalty

Initial $5,500 · Current $4,700 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:    (a) On or about November 24, 2015, employees entered the Jet Zone (confined space) and the employer did not ensure that all employees which enter confined spaces were provided with adequate training on their duties to perform confined space entry and/or attendant duties; such as but not limited to: testing of air quality, control of hazardous energy sources, and rescue procedures and/or technique. This exposed employees to suffocation, entanglement and other hazards which could result in death.

Issued

May 17, 2016

Abate by

Jun 6, 2016

Penalty

Initial $7,000 · Current $6,000 Reduced

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1910.147(c)(4)(i): Procedures were not developed, documented and utilized for the control of potentially hazardous energy when employees were engaged in activities covered by this section:    (a) On or about November 24, 2015, the employer did not ensure that procedures were documented and utilized when employees conducted cleaning operations of the airlocks, on the Wolverine Proctor extruder. This exposed employees to amputation hazards from the rotating blades while the airlock continued to rotate (kinetic energy) after the electrical power was de-energized.

Issued

May 17, 2016

Abate by

Jun 6, 2016

Penalty

Initial $7,000 · Current $6,000 Reduced

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1910.147(c)(6)(i): The employer did not conduct a periodic inspection of the energy control procedure at least annually to ensure that the procedure and the requirement of this standard were being followed:    (a) The employer did not conduct an inspection of the energy control procedures and authorized employees, at least annually, to ensure compliance with the procedures while servicing and cleaning of machinery was performed. This exposed employees to amputation hazards when failing to conduct lock-out/tag-out.

Issued

May 17, 2016

Penalty

Initial $3,300 · Current $0 Reduced

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) On or about December 15, 2015, the employer did not ensure that a fire extinguisher near the extruder line was readily accessible. This exposed employees to fire and smoke hazards.

Issued

May 17, 2016

Abate by

May 23, 2016

Penalty

Initial $7,000 · Current $6,000 Reduced

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1910.212(a)(1): One or more methods of machine guarding was not provided to protect the operator and other employees in the machine area from hazards such as those created by point of operation, ingoing nip points, rotating parts, flying chips and sparks:    (a) On or about November 24, 2015, the employer failed to ensure that the airlock, on the southeast portion of the extruder line, was properly guarded to prevent employees from accessing the rotating blades. This exposed employees to amputation hazards.

Issued

May 17, 2016

Abate by

Jun 6, 2016

Penalty

Initial $3,300 · Current $2,800 Reduced

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1910.303(b) (7) (i): Unused opening in electrical cabinets were not effectively closed to provide substantially equivalent protection to the equipment:    (a) On or about November 24, 2015, the employer did not ensure that the plugs/knockouts on energized junction boxes were properly closed to prevent accumulation of contaminants and prevent employees from accessing the energized parts, on the northeast side of the extruder line. This exposed employees to electrical shock and fire hazards.    (b) On or about November 24, 2015, the employer did not ensure that the plugs/knockouts on energized junction boxes were properly closed to prevent accumulation of contaminants and prevent employees from accessing the energized parts, on the northwest side of the extruder line. This exposed employees to electrical shock and fire hazards.    (c) On or about November 24, 2015, the employer did not ensure that the plugs/knockouts on energized junction boxes were properly closed to prevent accumulation of contaminants and prevent employees from accessing the energized parts, on the southeast side of the extruder line. This exposed employees to electrical shock and fire hazards.    (d) On or about November 24, 2015, the employer did not ensure that the plugs/knockouts on energized junction boxes were properly closed to prevent accumulation of contaminants and prevent employees from accessing the energized parts, on the southwest side of the extruder line. This exposed employees to electrical shock and fire hazards.

Issued

May 17, 2016

Abate by

Jul 5, 2016

Penalty

Initial $0 · Current $0

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1910.307(c): Equipment, wiring methods, and installations of equipment in hazardous (classified) locations were not intrinsically safe, approved for the hazardous (classified) location, or safe for the hazardous (classified) location:  (a) On or about November 24, 2015, the employer did not ensure that the plugs/knockouts on the energized junction box on the northeast side of the extruder line was properly closed to prevent accumulation of grain dust which could create a fire/deflagration hazard.  (b) On or about November 24, 2015, the employer did not ensure that the plugs/knockouts on the energized junction box on the northwest side of the extruder line was properly closed to prevent accumulation of grain dust which could create a fire/deflagration hazard.  (c) On or about November 24, 2015, the employer did not ensure that the plugs/knockouts on the energized junction box on the southeast side of the extruder line was properly closed to prevent accumulation of grain dust which could create a fire/deflagration hazard.  (d) On or about November 24, 2015, the employer did not ensure that the plugs/knockouts on the energized junction box on the southwest side of the extruder line was properly closed to prevent accumulation of grain dust which could create a fire/deflagration hazard.

Issued

May 17, 2016

Abate by

Jun 6, 2016

Penalty

Initial $38,500 · Current $33,000 Reduced

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1910.147(d): The established procedure for the application of energy control (the lockout or tagout procedures) did not cover the actions listed in and was not done in sequence as required by 29 CFR 1910.147(d)(1)-(6):    (a) On or about November 24, 2015, employees were exposed to machine hazards associated with moving blades when they engaged in cleaning activities on the Wolverine Proctor Extruder. The employer did not ensure that employees implemented energy control application steps prior to allowing them to clean the discharge chutes.  As a result, the remaining applicable energy control elements involving machine isolation [1910.147(d)(3)], lockout/tagout device application [1910.147(d)(4)], dissipation of residual energy [1910.147(d)(5)(i)], and verification of isolation [1910.147(d)(6)] were not implemented to protect employees from amputation hazards.    The Nature's Path USA II LLC, was previously cited for a violation of this occupational safety and health standard or its equivalent standard (29 CFR 1910.147(d)), which was contained in OSHA inspection number 644558, citation number 1, item number 3 and was affirmed as a final order on November 21, 2012, with respect to a workplace located at W227 N6088 Sussex Road, Sussex, WI 53089.    The Nature's Path USA II LLC, was previously cited for a violation of this occupational safety and health standard or its equivalent standard (29 CFR 1910.147(d)(4)(i)), which was contained in OSHA inspection number 882223, citation number 1, item number 1 and was affirmed as a final order on October 30, 2013, with respect to a workplace located at W227 N6088 Sussex Road, Sussex, WI 53089.

Issued

May 17, 2016

Abate by

Jun 20, 2016

Penalty

Initial $1,000 · Current $500 Reduced

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1904.29(b)(1): A Log of all recordable work-related injuries and illnesses (OSHA Form 300 or equivalent) was not completed in the detail as required by the regulation:     (a)  The employer did not complete the OSHA Form 300 as required; in that column F of the 2015 Log did not contain the object/substance which directly injured or made the employee ill, and standard threshold shifts were not recorded on the log within 7 calendar days.