OSHA Inspection: ABC POLYMER INDUSTRIES, LLC

Issued

Feb 5, 2018

Abate by

Dec 14, 2018

Penalty

Initial $5,691 · Current $5,000 Reduced

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1910.22(d)(1): Walking-working surfaces were not inspected, regularly and as necessary, and maintained in a safe condition.    (a) On or about 8/17/2017 - Extrusion Department at Line 3, the platform for the cutter equipment was missing the front left support leg and the front right support leg was buckled.

Issued

Feb 5, 2018

Abate by

Mar 14, 2019

Penalty

Initial $5,691 · Current $5,000 Reduced

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1910.25(c)(3):  The employer did not ensure standard stairs have a minimum tread depth of 9.5 inches (24 cm):    (a) On or about 8/17/2017 - Extrusion Department at Line 3, the tread depth was approximately 4.25 inches on the stairs used to access the platform for the cutter equipment.

Issued

Feb 5, 2018

Abate by

Dec 14, 2018

Penalty

Initial $0 · Current $0

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1910.25(c)(4): (4) The employer did not ensure standard stairs have a minimum tread width of 22 inches (56 cm) between vertical barriers (see Figure D-8 of this section):.    (a) On or about 8/17/2017 - Extrusion Department at Line 3, the tread width was approximately 20 inches on the stairs used to access the platform for the cutter equipment.

Issued

Feb 5, 2018

Abate by

Dec 14, 2018

Penalty

Initial $0 · Current $4,637

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1910.29(b)(1): The top edge height of top rails, or equivalent guardrail system members, were not  42 inches (107 cm), plus or minus 3 inches (8 cm), above the walking-working surface; where the top edge height exceeded 45 inches (114 cm), the guardrail system did not meet all other criteria of paragraph (b) of this section (see Figure D-11 of this section):    (a) On or about 8/17/2017 - Extrusion Department at Line 3, the top edge height of the top rail was approximately 49.75 inches and the guardrail system did not have midrails, screens, mesh, intermediate vertical members, solid panels, or equivalent intermediate members installed between the walking-working surface and the top edge of the guardrail system.

Issued

Feb 5, 2018

Abate by

Aug 19, 2019

Penalty

Initial $9,959 · Current $7,967 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 8/17/2017 - Extrusion Department, procedures were not utilized to control potentially hazardous energy, such as but not limited to, mechanical (kinetic) and thermal, when employees were removing wraps and scrap material from the lines using hand tools, such as utility knives and scissors, exposing employees to the caught-in hazards of the rollers, slitters, cutters, and web and the thermal burn hazards of the ovens and web.    (b) On or about 8/17/2017 - Extrusion Department, procedures were not utilized to control potentially hazardous energy, such as but not limited to, mechanical (kinetic), when employees were removing the cutting wheels to change the knives.

Issued

Feb 5, 2018

Abate by

Aug 16, 2019

Penalty

Initial $0 · Current $0

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1910.147(d)(2): The machine or equipment was not turned off or shut down using the procedures established for the machine or equipment:    (a) On or about 8/16/2017 - Extrusion Department, the lines were not turned off or shut down to stop the rotating godet rollers when employees removed wraps from the rollers exposing employees to the caught-in hazards of the in-running nip points between the web and the rollers and between two rollers.

Issued

Feb 5, 2018

Abate by

Aug 19, 2019

Penalty

Initial $9,959 · Current $7,967 Reduced

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1910.147(c)(4)(ii)(B): The energy control procedures did not clearly and specifically outline the steps for shutting down, isolating, blocking and securing machines or equipment to control hazardous energy:     (a) On or about 8/17/2017 - Extrusion Department, the lockout procedures for Lines, 1, 2, 3, 5 and 6 did not clearly and specifically identify how to shut down the pneumatic devices, such as but not limited to nip rollers, oven doors, cutters, the Maguire blender, vacuum receivers, and hose drops, nor did the procedures specifically identify how and where to isolate or block the pneumatic energy.

Issued

Feb 5, 2018

Abate by

Aug 19, 2019

Penalty

Initial $9,959 · Current $7,967 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) On or about 8/17/2017 - at 545 Elm Street, Helena, AL 35080, the employer did not conduct a periodic inspection of energy control procedures at least annually.

Issued

Feb 5, 2018

Abate by

Aug 19, 2019

Penalty

Initial $9,959 · Current $7,967 Reduced

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1910.147(c)(7)(i)(A): Authorized employee(s) did not receive training in the recognition of applicable hazardous energy sources, the type and magnitude of the energy available in the workplace, and the methods and means necessary for energy isolation:    (a) On or about 8/17/2017 - in the Extrusion Department, employees who remove wraps from the lines had not received training on the hazardous energy sources, such as but not limited to mechanical (kinetic) and thermal, and the methods and means necessary for energy isolation.    (b) On or about 8/17/2017 - in the Extrusion Department, employees who remove cutting wheels from the cutting equipment had not received training on the hazardous energy sources, such as but not limited to mechanical (kinetic), and the methods and means necessary for energy isolation.

Issued

Feb 5, 2018

Abate by

Dec 14, 2018

Penalty

Initial $8,536 · Current $5,000 Reduced

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1910.178(l)(1)(i): The employer did not ensure that each powered industrial truck operator is competent to operate a powered industrial truck safely, as demonstrated by the successful completion of the training and evaluation specified in this paragraph (l):    (a) On or about 8/17/2017 - at 545 Elm St, Helena, AL  35080, employees who operating powered industrial trucks such as the Toyota sit-down type had not completed the required training and evaluation.

Issued

Feb 5, 2018

Abate by

Aug 19, 2019

Penalty

Initial $129,336 · Current $103,470 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, including but not limited to the following instances:    (a) On or about 8/16/2017 - Extrusion Department at Line 3, the guard at Godet 1 (3 rolls) was in the up   position while the line was operating and it was not adequate.  Guarding was not provided at Godet 2 (4 rolls) and Godet 3 (5 rolls).    (b) On or about 8/17/2017 - Extrusion Department at Line 1, guarding was not provided at Godet 1 (3 rolls) and Godet 2 (5 rolls).     (c) On or about 8/17/2017 - Extrusion Department at Line 2, guarding was not provided at Godet 1 (3 rolls) and Godets 2 and 3 (5 rolls each).    (d) On or about 8/17/2017 - Extrusion Department at Line 5, the guard at Godets 2 and 3 (7 rolls each) was in the up position while the line was operating and it was not adequate.  Guarding was missing at Godet 1 (4 rolls).    (e) On or about 8/17/2017 - Extrusion Department at Line 6, guarding was not provided at Godets 1 and 2 (7 rolls).    (f) On or about 8/17/2017 - Extrusion Department at Line 7, guarding was not provided at Godet 1 (5 rolls) and Godet 2 (7 rolls).    (g) On or about 8/17/2017 - Extrusions Department at Line 9, guarding was not provided at Godets 1, 2, and 3 (7 rolls each) and the portable product winder spool.    (h) On or about 8/17/2017 - Pucker Machine Area, a section of the barrier guard along the aisle was missing where the accumulator was rotating and there was no guard at the in-going nips between the moving material and the fixed wheels at the operator's panel.

Issued

Feb 5, 2018

Abate by

Feb 20, 2018

Penalty

Initial $363 · Current $363

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1910.178(l)(4)(iii): An evaluation of each powered industrial truck operator's performance was not being conducted at least once every three years:  (a) On or about 8/17/2017 - at 545 Elm St, Helena, AL  35080, an evaluation of employees who operate forklift trucks had not been conducted at least once every three years.  ABC Polymer Industries, LLC was previously cited for a violation of this occupational safety and health standard which was contained in OSHA inspection number 829881, citation number 2, item number 1 and was affirmed as a final order on 3/5/2013 with respect to a workplace located at 545 Elm Street, Helena, AL  35080.

Issued

Feb 5, 2018

Abate by

Feb 8, 2018

Penalty

Initial $0 · Current $0

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1910.37(b)(2): Each exit was not clearly visible and marked by a sign reading "Exit":  (a) On or about 8/27/2017 - in the Bulk Bag Warehouse, the exit sign was missing over the door on the south wall near the east end.

Issued

Feb 5, 2018

Abate by

Feb 8, 2018

Penalty

Initial $0 · Current $0

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1910.110(f)(2)(ii): Containers when stored inside were located near exits, stairways, or in areas normally used or intended for the safe exit of people:  (a) On or about 8/27/2017 - in the Bulk Bag Warehouse, five liquid propane containers were stored near the exit on the east end.

Issued

Feb 5, 2018

Abate by

Feb 20, 2018

Penalty

Initial $0 · Current $0

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1910.144(a)(1)(iii): Emergency stop bars, stop buttons or switches which letters or other markings appear, used for emergency stopping of machinery were not red:  (a) On or about 8/17/2017 - at Line 1, the emergency stop bar at the 3-roller godet was painted off-white.  (b) On or about 8/17/2017 - at Line 3, the emergency stop bars at the 3-roller and 4-roller godets were painted yellow.  (c) On or about 8/17/2017 - at Line 5, the emergency stop bars at both 7-roller godets were painted yellow.  (d) On or about 8/17/2017 - at Line 6, the emergency stop bars at both 7-roller godets were painted yellow.  (e) On or about 8/17/2017 - at Line 7, the emergency stop bars at the 7-roller godet was painted yellow.

Issued

Feb 5, 2018

Abate by

Feb 27, 2018

Penalty

Initial $0 · Current $0

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1910.179(j)(3): A complete periodic inspection of crane(s) had not been conducted in the past 12 months:  (a) On or about 8/17/2017 - Packaging Area, the Gorbel 2,000 lb. crane had not been inspected since 2013.  (b) On or about 8/17/2017 - Pucker Machine Area, the Abell-Howe 1/2 ton jib crane had not been inspected.

Issued

Feb 5, 2018

Abate by

Feb 27, 2018

Penalty

Initial $0 · Current $0

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1910.305(b)(1)(ii): Unused openings in boxes, cabinets, or fittings were not effectively closed:  (a) On or about 8/17/2017 - at Line 5, seven unused openings were not closed on the operator control panel.

Issued

Feb 5, 2018

Abate by

Feb 20, 2018

Penalty

Initial $0 · Current $0

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1910.1200(h)(1): Employees were not provided effective information and training on hazardous chemicals in their work area at the time of their initial assignment and whenever a new hazard that the employees had not been previously trained about was introduced into their work area:  (a) On or about 8/27/2017 - at 545 Elm St., Helena, AL  35080, the employer did not ensure that employees were provided information and training on hazards associated with chemicals such but not limited to not Supralube MC-1 and General Homopolymer and Copolymer Polypropylene.