OSHA Inspection: ASAP PALLETS, INC.

Issued

Feb 8, 2017

Abate by

Jun 21, 2017

Penalty

Initial $5,070 · Current $5,070

Hazardous substances 8110

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1910.95(b)(1): When employees were subjected to sound exceeding those listed in Table G-16, feasible administrative or engineering controls were not utilized:     On September 21, 2016, ASAP Pallets, Inc., Franklin Park, Illinois, did not did not implement engineering controls or administrative controls when employee noise exposures were at or above the 8-hour time-weighted average OSHA Permissible Exposure Limit of 90 decibels.     a) In the Cutting Department, an employee using both the notcher and a chopsaw was exposed to continuous noise levels at 395.1% of the allowable 8-hour time-weighted average sound level (90dBA). The equivalent dBA level of 395.1% is approximately 100 dBA. The sampling was performed for 393 minutes during one 8-hour shift on September 21, 2016. Zero exposure was assumed for the unsampled time period of 87 minutes.     Feasible engineering and/or administrative controls that may be effective in reducing noise exposures to employees in the work area include, but are not limited to:     1) Turn the equipment off when possible, not allowing it to idle when not in use, particularly when the work being performed is intermittent and not continuous.    2) Perform routine inspections and set up a preventative maintenance schedule for the chop saws to address-      - condition of bearings, saw collar and arbor.         - balance & align components in the system.         - lubricate equipment gears and bearings.     3) Verify that the chop saws are operated in accordance with the manufacturers' instructions -      - rotation speed (RPM) is the minimum required to adequately perform operation.        - circular blades being selected for use are appropriate for work being done and equipment being used.      - depth of cut so the saw blade just clears the work piece ( i.e., use the minimum cut depth required).     4) Examine the location of the equipment in the cutting department, including the chop saw, notcher and compressor, and where possible relocate/spread the equipment.     5) Use sound absorptive or damping material to reduce the noise from the saw blades.    In accordance with 29 CFR 1903.19(d), abatement certification is required for this violation (using the CERTIFICATION OF CORRECTIVE ACTION WORKSHEET), and in addition, documentation demonstrating that abatement is complete must be included with your certification.  This documentation may include, but is not limited to, evidence of the purchase or repair of the equipment, photographic or video evidence of abatement, or other written records.      Abatement date:      Step 1: As an interim protective measure and when administrative or engineering controls fail to reduce sound levels to within the level of Table G-16, effective hearing protection shall be provided and used by all exposed employees. Ensure employees are trained and hearing protection is worn correctly. In addition, an effective hearing conservation program in accordance with 29 CFR 1910.95(c)through (n) is implemented.       Abatement date:       STEP 2: A written detailed plan of abatement shall be submitted to the Area Director outlining a schedule for the implementation of engineering and/or administrative measure to control employee exposures to noise as referenced in the citation. This plan shall include, at a minimum, target dates for the following action, which must be consistent with the dates required by this citation:      (1) Evaluation of engineering/administrative controls;  (2) Selection of the optimum control methods and completion of design;  (3) Procurement, installation and operation of selected control measures;  (4) Testing and acceptance or modification/redesign of controls.      All proposed control measures shall be evaluated for each particular use by a competent industrial hygienist or other technically qualified persons(s). 30-day progress reports to OSHA are required during the abatement period.      Abatement date:       STEP 3: Abatement shall have been completed by the implementation of feasible engineering and/or administrative controls upon verification of their effectiveness in achieving compliance.

Issued

Feb 8, 2017

Abate by

Apr 28, 2017

Penalty

Initial $5,070 · Current $0 Reduced

Hazardous substances 8111

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1910.95(c)(1): The employer did not administer a continuing, effective hearing conservation program as described in 29 CFR 1910.95(c) through (o) whenever employee noise exposures equal or exceed an 8-hour time-weighted average sound level of 85 decibels measured on the A scale, or equivalently a dose of fifty percent:    On September 21, 2016, ASAP Pallets, Inc., Franklin Park, Illinois, did not institute an effective hearing conservation program, which included noise monitoring, audiometric testing of employees and training of employees as detailed in the standard, when employee noise exposures were indicated to be at or above the 8-hour time-weighted average of 85 decibels.    a) In the Cutting Department, an employee operating a chop saw was exposed to continuous noise levels at 263.2% of the allowable 8-hour time-weighted average sound level (90 dBA). The equivalent dBA level of 263.2% is approximately 97.0 dBA. The sampling was performed for 399 minutes during one 8-hour shift on September 21, 2016. Zero exposure was assumed for the unsampled time period of 81 minutes.    b) In the Cutting Department, an employee operating both the notcher and a chop saw was exposed to continuous noise levels at 395.1% of the allowable 8-hour time-weighted average sound level (90dBA). The equivalent dBA level of 395.1% is approximately 100 dBA. The sampling was performed for 393 minutes during one 8-hour shift on September 21, 2016. Zero exposure was assumed for the unsampled time period of 87 minutes.    c) In the Cutting Department, an employee operating a conveyered chop saw was exposed to continuous noise levels at 112.8% of the allowable 8-hour time-weighted average sound level (90 dBA). The equivalent dBA level of 112.8% is approximately 90.9 dBA. The sampling was performed for 410 minutes during on 8-hour shift on September 21, 2016. Zero exposure was assumed for the unsampled period of 70 minutes.    In accordance with 29 CFR 1903.19(d), abatement certification is required for this violation (using the CERTIFICATION OF CORRECTIVE ACTION WORKSHEET), and in addition, documentation demonstrating that abatement is complete must be included with your certification.  This documentation may include, but is not limited to, evidence of the purchase or repair of the equipment, photographic or video evidence of abatement, or other written records.