OSHA Inspection: TROTTER, INC.

Issued

Feb 21, 2017

Abate by

Mar 10, 2017

Penalty

Initial $8,873 · Current $5,000 Reduced

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1910.272(g)(1)(ii):  Prior to entry, all mechanical, electrical, hydraulic, and pneumatic equipment which presented a danger to employees inside grain storage structures in the grain handling facility were not disconnected, locked out and tagged:    The employer is failing to protect employees from amputation hazards.  Employees are allowed to enter grain bins without locking power sources to the equipment in the bin.  Equipment being worked on include, but are not limited to, augers and bucket elevators.  This violation was most recently documented at a worksite located at or near 101 Railroad Street, Litchfield, Nebraska 68852 on September 1, 2016.  An employee was working inside grain bin without utilizing lockout or tagout devices and affixing them to each energy isolating device.

Issued

Feb 21, 2017

Abate by

Mar 24, 2017

Penalty

Initial $8,873 · Current $5,000 Reduced

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1910.272(g)(1)(iii):  The atmosphere within a bin, silo, or tank in the grain handling facility was not tested for the presence of combustible gases, vapors, and toxic agents and oxygen content prior to employee entry:     The employer is failing to protect employees from the hazard of asphyxiation due to a toxic or oxygen deficient atmosphere.  Employees are allowed to enter grain bins without testing the atmosphere prior to entering the bin.  The presence of combustible gases, vapors, and toxic agents combined with potential low oxygen content creates significant risks to employees.  These bins have never been tested to ascertain if the levels inside the bins are within required allowable levels.  The employer cannot accurately determine if it is safe to enter these bins in that they have never identified the actual levels of the above listed hazards present in the bins.  This violation was most recently documented at a worksite located at or near 101 Railroad Street, Litchfield, Nebraska 68852 on September 1, 2016.  Employees entered grain bins without testing the atmosphere to ensure that it was safe to enter.

Issued

Feb 21, 2017

Abate by

Mar 10, 2017

Penalty

Initial $6,338 · Current $4,000 Reduced

General-duty citation text

1910.272(m)(4):  The employer failed to implement procedures for the use of tags and locks which will prevent the inadvertent application of energy or motion to equipment being repaired, serviced, or adjusted, which could result in employee injury.  Such locks and tags shall be removed in accordance with established procedures only by the employee installing them or, if unavailable, by his or her supervisor:    The employer is failing to protect employees from the dangers of unexpected energization or start-up of equipment by not ensuring that specific lockout procedures are developed and utilized in the facility.  The company's program covers generic lock-out/tag-out procedures which are not specific in nature to each type of machinery needing to be locked-out.  Machines being worked on include, but are not limited to augers and bucket elevators.  This violation was most recently documented at a worksite located at or near 101 Railroad Street, Litchfield, Nebraska 68852 on September 1, 2016.

Issued

Feb 21, 2017

Abate by

Mar 10, 2017

Penalty

Initial $10,140 · Current $6,000 Reduced

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1910.23(c)(1):  The employer is not ensuring that open sided floors and/or platforms four feet or more above adjacent floor or ground level were guarded with standard railings (or equivalent) and toeboards:    The employer is failing to protect employees from fall hazards in the load out area.  This area is not properly guarded by a standard guard rail system consisting of top rails and mid rails installed at the required heights from the working surface.  The platform in this area did not provide the required fall protection between the floor of the platform and the top creating a fall hazard.  This violation was most recently documented at a worksite located at or near 101 Railroad Street, Litchfield, Nebraska 68852 on September 1, 2016.  Employee(s) on the load out platform are exposed to fall hazards due to the lack of standard railings.  The employer did not install the required protection between the floor of the platform and the top rail.    Trotter Grain, Inc. was previously cited for a violation of this occupational safety and health standard or its equivalent standard 29 CFR 1910.23(c)(1), which was contained in OSHA inspection number 927947, citation number 1, item number 1 and was affirmed as a final order on October 11, 2013, with respect to a workplace located at 300 Railway, Arcadia, Nebraska 68815.