OSHA Inspection: VERITAS MEDICAL SOLUTIONS LLC

Issued

Mar 10, 2016

Penalty

Initial $2,800 · Current $2,800

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1910.132(a): Protective equipment was not used when necessary whenever hazards capable of causing injury and impairment were encountered:  a) Lead melting room: Employees, laborers, conducting the lead melting operation were exposed splashing and contact with hot liquid lead.   The employer did not provide adequate personal protective equipment exposing employees to burns, on or about February 1, 2016..   No abatement certification or documentation required.

Issued

Mar 10, 2016

Abate by

Mar 30, 2016

Penalty

Initial $2,800 · Current $4,000

Hazardous substances 1592

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) Lead melting room: Employees voluntarily wore MSA full-face respirators with HEPA cartridges and 3M half-face respirators with organic vapor and HEPA combination cartridges and the employer did not establish or implement the elements of a written respiratory program including providing the employees with a medical evaluation, on or about January 21, 2016.    Abatement certification required within 10 days after abatement date.  The certification shall include a statement that abatement is complete, date and method of abatement, and states that employees and their representatives were informed of this abatement.

Issued

Mar 10, 2016

Penalty

Initial $0 · Current $0

Hazardous substances 1592

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1910.134(h)(1): Respirators were not cleaned and disinfected using the procedures in Appendix B-2 of 29 CFR 1910.134 or equivalent procedures recommended by the respirator manufacturer:  a) Lead to melting room: Employees use MSA full-face respirators or 3M half-face respirators while melting lead and the respirators were not cleaned or disinfected after each use as lead was present in the interior of the respirator, on or about January 21, 2016.  No abatement certification or documentation required.

Issued

Mar 10, 2016

Penalty

Initial $0 · Current $0

Hazardous substances 1592

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1910.134(h)(2)(i): Respirators were not stored to protect them from damage, contamination, dust, sunlight, extreme temperatures, excessive moisture, and damaging chemicals or  were not packed or stored to prevent deformation of the facepiece and exhalation valve:  a) Men's locker room: Employees used MSA full-face respirators or 3M half-face respirators and the respirators were stored in the employees lockers where their boots were also kept, exposing the respirators to contamination by lead dust, on or about January 21, 2016.  b) Lead melting room: Employees used MSA full-face respirators or 3M half-face respirators and the respirators were stored in the room while the employees were on break exposing the respirators to contamination by lead dust, on or about February 1, 2016.  No abatement certification or documentation required.

Issued

Mar 10, 2016

Penalty

Initial $0 · Current $0

Hazardous substances 1592

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1910.134(k)(6): The employer did not provide the basic advisory information on respirators, as presented in Appendix D of 29 CFR 1910.134, in written or oral format to employees who wear respirators when such use was not required by the employer:  a) Lead melting room: Employees voluntarily wore MSA full-face respirators and 3M half-face respirators while melting lead and they were not provided with basic information provided in Appendix D including the maintenance, cleaning and care of the respirator, on or about January 21, 2016.  No abatement certification or documentation required.

Issued

Mar 10, 2016

Penalty

Initial $2,800 · Current $0 Reduced

Hazardous substances 1591

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1910.1025(d)(3)(i): The initial determination for lead was not based on employee exposure monitoring results and other relevant considerations listed in 29 CFR 1910.1025(d)(3)(i)(A), (B) and/or (C):    a) Lead melting room:  An employee, labor, was melting lead ingots and hand ladling them into molds to create grooved bricks and 1 inch sheets and cleaning up afterwards was exposed to an 8 hour time-weighted average (TWA) of 44.2 micrograms of lead per cubic meter of air. This level is 1.47 times the action level of 30 micrograms per cubic meter of air. This exposure occurred over a 394 minute sampling period on February 1, 2016. A zero exposure is assumed for the minutes not sampled. The employer did not conduct employee exposure monitoring to determine employee's exposure to lead, on or about January 21, 2016.    No abatement certification or documentation required.

Issued

Mar 10, 2016

Abate by

Mar 30, 2016

Penalty

Initial $2,800 · Current $0 Reduced

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1910.1025(h)(1): All surfaces were not maintained as free as practicable of accumulations of lead:    a) Lunchroom table: Employees eat and drink at the table during breaks and wipe sampling showed 2.96 µg of lead present on the table, on or about February 1, 2016.    Abatement certification required within 10 days after abatement date.  The certification shall include a statement that abatement is complete, date and method of abatement, and states that employees and their representatives were informed of this abatement

Issued

Mar 10, 2016

Penalty

Initial $0 · Current $0

Hazardous substances 1591

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1910.1025(h)(2)(ii): Shoveling, sweeping or brushing methods were used to remove lead accumulations where vacuuming or other equally effective methods were available and feasible:    a) Lead melting room: : At the end of the shift where employees were melting lead ingots and pouring the lead in to molds, two employees conducting cleanup operations, used putty knives, shovels and their hands to brush the dust on the floor into piles for disposal, on or about February 1, 2016.    No abatement certification or documentation required.

Issued

Mar 10, 2016

Abate by

Mar 25, 2016

Penalty

Initial $2,100 · Current $2,100

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1910.157(g)(1): An educational program was not provided for all employees to familiarize them with the general principles of fire extinguisher use and the hazards involved with incipient stage fire fighting:     a) Facility wide: Employees were not provided training to familiarize them with the general principles of fire extinguisher use and the hazards involved with incipient stage fire fighting, on or about January 21, 2016.       ABATEMENT NOTE: By this date the employer must either correct the alleged violation or implement a Fire Safety Policy, as outlined in 29 CFR 1910.38(a) and (b) which included the evacuation requirement of 29 CFR 1910.157(b).