OSHA Inspection: KNAUS CHEESE, INC.

Issued

Mar 23, 2018

Penalty

Initial $6,467 · Current $3,557 Reduced

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1910.37(b)(2): Each exit must be clearly visible and marked by a sign reading "Exit."  On or about November 21, 2017, the exit door to the north side of the maintenance shop had the "Exit" sign removed.

Issued

Mar 23, 2018

Abate by

May 12, 2018

Penalty

Initial $6,467 · Current $3,557 Reduced

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1910.147(c)(1): Energy control program. The employer shall establish a program consisting of energy control procedures, employee training and periodic inspections to ensure that before any employee performs any servicing or maintenance on a machine or equipment where the unexpected energizing, startup or release of stored energy could occur and cause injury, the machine or equipment shall be isolated from the energy source and rendered inoperative.    The employer did not establish an energy control program consisting of energy control procedures, employee training, and periodic inspections when employees were performing servicing and maintenance work on production equipment, tractor trailers, forklifts, and other equipment located throughout the facility.

Issued

Mar 23, 2018

Abate by

May 12, 2018

Penalty

Initial $0 · Current $0

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1910.147(c)(4)(i): Procedures shall be developed, documented and utilized for the control of potentially hazardous energy when employees are engaged in the activities covered by this section.     The employer did not develop, document, and utilize energy control procedures for employees engaged in servicing and maintenance work on equipment covered by this section such as, forklifts, tractor trailers, and various other equipment.      Note: Exception: The employer need not document the required procedure for a particular machine or equipment, when all of the following elements exist: (1) The machine or equipment has no potential for stored or residual energy or reaccumulation of stored energy after shut down which could endanger employees; (2) the machine or equipment has a single energy source which can be readily identified and isolated; (3) the isolation and locking out of that energy source will completely deenergize and deactivate the machine or equipment; (4) the machine or equipment is isolated from that energy source and locked out during servicing or maintenance; (5) a single lockout device will achieve a locker-out condition; (6) the lockout device is under the exclusive control of the authorized employee performing the servicing or maintenance; (7) the servicing or maintenance does not create hazards for other employees; and (8) the employer, in utilizing this exception, has had no accidents involving the unexpected activation or reenergization of the machine or equipment during servicing or maintenance.

Issued

Mar 23, 2018

Abate by

Apr 20, 2018

Penalty

Initial $6,467 · Current $3,557 Reduced

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1910.178(l)(1)(i): The employer shall 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).  On or about November 21, 2017, forklift and motorized hand truck operators were not trained and evaluated by the employer prior to them operating the equipment in the maintenance shop, outside yard, production area, are warehousing area.  Powered industrial truck operators shall be trained with a combination of formal instruction, practical training, and evaluation that is certified including the name of the operator, date of the training, date of the evaluation, and identity of the person(s) performing the training or evaluation.

Issued

Mar 23, 2018

Abate by

Apr 20, 2018

Penalty

Initial $0 · Current $0

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1910.178(q)(6): Industrial trucks shall not be altered so that the relative positions of the various parts are different from what they were when originally received from the manufacturer, nor shall they be altered either by the addition of extra parts not provided by the manufacturer or by the elimination of any parts, except as provided in paragraph (q)(12) of this section. Additional counterweighting of fork trucks shall not be done unless approved by the truck manufacturer.  (a)  On or about November 21, 2017, a TCM LP powered forklift model FG25N5T located in the maintenance shop had the seatbelt removed from the seat.  (b)  On or about November 21, 2017, a TCM LP powered forklift model FG25N5T located in the maintenance shop had the battery moved from the original position to a welded on storage box behind the operators seat.    (c)  On or about November 21, 2017, a TCM LP powered forklift model FG25N5T located in the maintenance shop was missing the right LP tank hold down strap.

Issued

Mar 23, 2018

Penalty

Initial $9,054 · Current $4,980 Reduced

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1910.252(a)(3)(i): Used containers. No welding, cutting, or other hot work shall be performed on used drums, barrels, tanks or other containers until they have been cleaned so thoroughly as to make absolutely certain that there are no flammable materials present or any substances such as greases, tars, acids, or other materials which when subjected to heat, might produce flammable or toxic vapors. Any pipe lines or connections to the drum or vessel shall be disconnected or blanked.  On or about November 17, 2017, an employee was cutting a metal 55 gallon drum with a plasma cutter without having adequately cleaned the container to ensure no flammable materials were present resulting in the container exploding.

Issued

Mar 23, 2018

Penalty

Initial $6,467 · Current $3,557 Reduced

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1910.253(b)(2)(ii): Inside of buildings, cylinders shall be stored in a well-protected, well-ventilated, dry location, at least 20 (6.1 m) feet from highly combustible materials such as oil or excelsior. Cylinders should be stored in definitely assigned places away from elevators, stairs, or gangways. Assigned storage spaces shall be located where cylinders will not be knocked over or damaged by passing or falling objects, or subject to tampering by unauthorized persons. Cylinders shall not be kept in unventilated enclosures such as lockers and cupboards.  On or about November 21, 2017, oxygen and acetylene cylinders were not stored in assigned places.  The cylinders were stored together near a doorway where they could be knocked over.

Issued

Mar 23, 2018

Penalty

Initial $0 · Current $0

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1910.253(b)(4)(iii): Oxygen cylinders in storage shall be separated from fuel-gas cylinders or combustible materials (especially oil or grease), a minimum distance of 20 feet (6.1 m) or by a noncombustible barrier at least 5 feet (1.5 m) high having a fire-resistance rating of at least one-half hour.  On or about November 21, 2017, oxygen and acetylene cylinders were stored next to each other without a noncombustible barrier at the northwest doorway of the maintenance shop.

Issued

Mar 23, 2018

Penalty

Initial $6,467 · Current $3,557 Reduced

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1910.305(g)(1)(iv): Unless specifically permitted otherwise in paragraph (g)(1)(ii) of this section, flexible cords and cables may not be used as a substitute for fixed wiring of a structure; where run through holes in walls, ceilings, or floors; where run through doorways, windows, or similar openings; where attached to building surfaces; where concealed behind building walls, ceilings, or floors; or where installed in raceways, except as otherwise permitted in this subpart.    On or about November 21, 2017, a flexible cord powering a lathe located in the maintenance shop was utilized fixed wiring and attached with zip ties to the building structure.