OSHA Inspection: TELLURIDE STONE COMPANY

Issued

Aug 23, 2016

Abate by

Feb 28, 2018

Penalty

Initial $7,483 · Current $7,483

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1910.1000(e): Feasible administrative or engineering controls were not determined and implemented to achieve compliance with the limits prescribed in 29 CFR 1910.1000(a) through (d):  (a) Telluride Stone Company, at 1471 Highway 141, Whitewater, CO: On 7/19/16, Telluride Stone Company did not ensure that feasible administrative or engineering controls were determined and implemented to achieve compliance with the limits prescribed in 29 CFR 1910.1000(a) through (d).  On 7/19/16 one employee operating a Park Industries TXS 5500 thin cutting machine in Building Two was exposed to respirable silica at a concentration greater than the 8 hour Time Weighted Average (TWA) Permissible Exposure Limit (PEL) of 0.149 mg/m3.  The employee was exposed to respirable silica at a concentration of 0.448 mg/m3 as an 8 hour TWA.  This is 2.79 times the PEL.  Air monitoring was conducted for 446 minutes.  (b) Telluride Stone Company, at 1471 Highway 141, Whitewater, CO: On 7/19/16, Telluride Stone Company did not ensure that feasible administrative or engineering controls were determined and implemented to achieve compliance with the limits prescribed in 29 CFR 1910.1000(a) through (d).  On 7/19/16 one employee operating a Park Industries TXS 5500 thin cutting machine in Building Two was exposed to respirable silica at a concentration greater than the 8 hour Time Weighted Average (TWA) Permissible Exposure Limit (PEL) of 0.156 mg/m3.  The employee was exposed to respirable silica at a concentration of 0.429 mg/m3 as an 8 hour TWA.  This is 2.75 times the PEL.  Air monitoring was conducted for 455 minutes.  (c) Telluride Stone Company, at 1471 Highway 141, Whitewater, CO: On 7/19/16, Telluride Stone Company did not ensure that feasible administrative or engineering controls were determined and implemented to achieve compliance with the limits prescribed in 29 CFR 1910.1000(a) through (d).  On 7/19/16 one employee operating a Park Industries TXS 5500 thin cutting machine in Building Two was exposed to respirable silica at a concentration greater than the 8 hour Time Weighted Average (TWA) Permissible Exposure Limit (PEL) of 0.179 mg/m3.  The employee was exposed to respirable silica at a concentration of 0.477 mg/m3 as an 8 hour TWA.  This is 2.66 times the PEL.  Air monitoring was conducted for 445 minutes.  (d) Telluride Stone Company, at 1471 Highway 141, Whitewater, CO: On 7/19/16, Telluride Stone Company did not ensure that feasible administrative or engineering controls were determined and implemented to achieve compliance with the limits prescribed in 29 CFR 1910.1000(a) through (d).  On 7/19/16 one employee packaging cut stone in Building Two was exposed to respirable silica at a concentration greater than the 8 hour Time Weighted Average (TWA) Permissible Exposure Limit (PEL) of 0.156 mg/m3.  The employee was exposed to respirable silica at a concentration of 0.189 mg/m3 as an 8 hour TWA.  This is 1.21 times the PEL.  Air monitoring was conducted for 450 minutes.  Telluride Stone Company was previously cited for a violation of this Occupational Safety and Health Administration Standard or its equivalent standard, 29 CFR 1910.1000(e), which was contained in OSHA inspection 740781, Citation 1, Item 3d and was issued on January 17, 2013, and affirmed as a final order on February 12, 2013, with respect to a workplace located at 1471 Colorado Highway, Whitewater, CO.   Abatement Note:  Feasible engineering controls include, but are not limited to:  1) Local exhaust ventilation with sufficient capture velocity to entrain particulate at the Park Industries TXS 5500 thin cutting machines in Building 2. 2) Enclosure of the saw blade region of the TXS 5500 thin cutting machines.  Installation of local exhaust within such an enclosure. 3) Increased separation (distance) of the operators from the saw blade region of the TXS 5500 thin cutting machines. 4) Pre-washing of rock.  Abatement Note:  Abatement of this item will normally be multi-step as follows:  1. Effective respiratory protection shall be provided and used by exposed employees as an interim protective measure until feasible engineering and/or administrative controls can be implemented or whenever such controls fail to reduce employee exposure to within exposure limits.  STEP 1 ABATEMENT DATE (15 DAYS): ABATEMENT COMPLETED  2. Submit to the Area Director a written detailed plan of abatement outlining a schedule for the implementation of engineering and /or administrative measures to control employee exposures to the hazardous substance referenced in this citation.  The plan shall include, at a minimum, target dates for the following actions which should be consistent with the dates required by this citation: a. Evaluation of the extent and location of the hazard source; b. Evaluation of control measure options; c. Selection of optimum control measures; d. Determination of control measure design; e. Ordering and delivery of equipment; f. Installation of control measures; g. Training of employees in proper operation and maintenance of newly implemented control measures; and h. Assurance of the effective performance of control measures.  All proposed control measures shall be evaluated for each particular use by a competent Industrial Hygienist or other technically qualified person.  Thirty day progress reports are required during the abatement period.  The progress report must identify the action taken to achieve abatement and the date the action was taken.  STEP 2 ABATEMENT DATE (60 DAYS):  October 24, 2016  3. Abatement will be completed by the implementation of feasible engineering and/or administrative controls and upon verification of their effectiveness in achieving compliance.  STEP 3 ABATEMENT DATE (120 DAYS):  December 22, 2016

Issued

Jul 21, 2016

Abate by

Aug 25, 2016

Penalty

Initial $4,200 · Current $4,200

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1910.95(g)(6): At least annually after obtaining the baseline audiogram, the employer did not obtain a new audiogram for each employee exposed at or above an 8-hour time-weighted average of 85 decibels :  (a) Telluride Stone Company, at 1471 Highway 141, Whitewater, CO: On and preceding 3/15/16, Telluride Stone Company did not obtain a new audiogram, at least annually after obtaining the baseline audiogram,  for each employee exposed at or above an 8 hour time-weighted average of 85 decibels.  On 3/15/16 an employee operating a Park Industries TXS 5500 stone cutting saw was exposed to noise at a dose in excess of the fifty percent dose Action Level (AL).  The employee was exposed to noise at a dose of 246%.  This is 4.92 times the AL.  The employer provided annual audiograms to employees in January 2014 after obtaining baseline audiograms prior to 2014.  The employer had not obtained an audiogram at least annually for each employee.  (b) Telluride Stone Company, at 1471 Highway 141, Whitewater, CO: On and preceding 3/15/16, Telluride Stone Company did not obtain a new audiogram, at least annually after obtaining the baseline audiogram,  for each employee exposed at or above an 8 hour time-weighted average of 85 decibels.  On 3/15/16 an employee operating a Park Industries TXS 5500 stone cutting saw was exposed to noise at a dose in excess of the fifty percent dose Action Level (AL).  The employee was exposed to noise at a dose of 214%.  This is 4.28 times the AL.  The employer provided annual audiograms to employees in January 2014 after obtaining baseline audiograms prior to 2014.  The employer had not obtained an audiogram at least annually for each employee.  (c) Telluride Stone Company, at 1471 Highway 141, Whitewater, CO: On and preceding 3/15/16, Telluride Stone Company did not obtain a new audiogram, at least annually after obtaining the baseline audiogram,  for each employee exposed at or above an 8 hour time-weighted average of 85 decibels.  On 3/15/16 an employee packaging cut stone was exposed to noise at a dose in excess of the fifty percent dose Action Level (AL).  The employee was exposed to noise at a dose of 96.0%.  This is 1.92 times the AL.  The employer provided annual audiograms to employees in January 2014 after obtaining baseline audiograms prior to 2014.  The employer had not obtained an audiogram at least annually for each employee.  (d) Telluride Stone Company, at 1471 Highway 141, Whitewater, CO: On and preceding 3/15/16, Telluride Stone Company did not obtain a new audiogram, at least annually after obtaining the baseline audiogram,  for each employee exposed at or above an 8 hour time-weighted average of 85 decibels.  On 3/15/16 an employee packaging cut stone was exposed to noise at a dose in excess of the fifty percent dose Action Level (AL).  The employee was exposed to noise at a dose of 85.8%.  This is 1.72 times the AL.  The employer provided annual audiograms to employees in January 2014 after obtaining baseline audiograms prior to 2014.  The employer had not obtained an audiogram at least annually for each employee.  (e) Telluride Stone Company, at 1471 Highway 141, Whitewater, CO: On and preceding 3/15/16, Telluride Stone Company did not obtain a new audiogram, at least annually after obtaining the baseline audiogram,  for each employee exposed at or above an 8 hour time-weighted average of 85 decibels.  On 3/15/16 an employee packaging cut stone was exposed to noise at a dose in excess of the fifty percent dose Action Level (AL).  The employee was exposed to noise at a dose of 67.2%.  This is 1.34 times the AL.  The employer provided annual audiograms to employees in January 2014 after obtaining baseline audiograms prior to 2014.  The employer had not obtained an audiogram at least annually for each employee.  Telluride Stone Company was previously cited for a violation of this Occupational Safety and Health Administration Standard or its equivalent standard, 29 CFR 1910.95(g)(6), which was contained in OSHA inspection 740781, Citation 1, Item 1b and was issued on January 17, 2013, and affirmed as a final order on February 12, 2013, with respect to a workplace located at 1471 Highway 141, Whitewater, CO.

Issued

Jul 21, 2016

Penalty

Initial $0 · Current $0

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1910.134(e)(6)(i):  The employer did not obtain from the PLHCP a written recommendation regarding the employee's ability to use the respirator:  (a) Telluride Stone Company, at 1471 Highway 141, Whitewater, CO: On and preceding 3/14/16, Telluride Stone Company did not obtain from the PLHCP a written recommendation regarding the employee's ability to use the respirator.  Employees cut and packaged stone.  This process generated respirable silica.  Employees were required to wear 3M Versaflo M100 powered air purifying respirators.  The employer provided medical evaluations to determine employee ability to wear a respirator.  The employer did not obtain from the physician a written recommendation with regards to each employee's ability to wear a respirator.  This condition potentially exposed employees to a respiratory hazard.