OSHA Inspection: RESIST-A-LINE INDUSTRIES, INC.

Issued

May 23, 2018

Penalty

Initial $3,141 · Current $2,000 Reduced

Hazardous substances 81108111

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 1910.9(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:    An effective hearing conservation program which included noise monitoring, audiometric testing of employees and training of employees as detailed in the standard was not instituted by Resist-A-Line Industries, Inc.    a. An employee in the blasting area was exposed to continuous noise levels at 1159% of the allowable permissible exposure limit 8-hour time-weighted average sound level of 90 dBA. The equivalent dBA level of 1159% is approximately 107.7 dBA.  The sampling was performed for 126 minutes during one shift on April 4, 2018.  Zero exposure was assumed for the unsampled period of time, 354 minutes.

Issued

May 23, 2018

Abate by

Jun 19, 2018

Penalty

Initial $3,141 · Current $2,000 Reduced

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1910.28(b)(1)(i): The employer did not ensure that each employee on a walking-working surface with an unprotected side or edge that is 4 feet (1.2m) or more above a lower level was protected from falling by guardrail systems, safety net system, or personal fall arrest system:    a. On or about January 26, 2018, on top of the trailers, employees required to access and work on top of the tank were exposed to falls of over seven (7) feet above the ground level.  The employer did not ensure that employees were provided with fall protection, thereby exposing employees to injuries from falls.    b. On or about January 26, 2018, in the work area, the employees were required to access the top of tanker trailers for confined space entry from a platform with an inadequate guardrail system. The employer did not ensure that employees were provided with adequate fall protection, thereby exposing employees to injuries from falls.

Issued

May 23, 2018

Penalty

Initial $1,885 · Current $1,000 Reduced

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1910.134(e)(1): The employer did not provide a medical evaluation to determine the employee's ability to use a respirator, before the employee was fit tested or required to use the respirator in the workplace:      a.  On or about January 26, 2018, in the work area, new employees were required to wear tight fitting half-mask and full-face respirators and were not provided a medical evaluation.

Issued

May 23, 2018

Abate by

Aug 31, 2018

Penalty

Initial $0 · Current $0

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1910.134(d)(2)(i)(B): The employer did not provide a full facepiece pressure demand supplied-air respirator (SAR) with auxiliary self-contained air supply for employee use in IDLH atmospheres:    a. On or about January 26, 2018, in the work area, employees were required to enter permit required confined spaces with potential IDLH atmospheres without a pressure demand supplied-air respirator with an auxiliary self-contained air supply respirator.

Issued

May 23, 2018

Penalty

Initial $0 · Current $0

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1910.134(f)(1): The employer did not ensure that employee(s) required to use a tight-fitting facepiece respirator passed the appropriate qualitative fit test (QLFT) or quantitative fit test (QNFT):        a. On or about January 26, 2018, in the work area, employees were required to wear half-mask and full-face respirators.  New employees were not fit tested before using the respirator.

Issued

May 23, 2018

Penalty

Initial $0 · Current $0

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1910.134(k): The employer did not provide comprehensive, understandable training which did not occur annually and/or more often if necessary:   a. On or about January 26, 2018, in the work area, employees were required to wear respirators when entering confined spaces. New employees were not trained before using the half-mask and full-face respirators for confined space entry.

Issued

May 23, 2018

Abate by

Jul 11, 2018

Penalty

Initial $1,885 · Current $1,000 Reduced

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1910.146(c)(5)(ii)(C): Employees entered into permit spaces that met the conditions set forth in 29 CFR 1910.146(c)(5)(i) but before an employee entered the space, the internal atmosphere was not tested with a calibrated direct-reading instrument.    a. On or about March 1, 2018, in the work area, permit required confined spaces, tanker trailers, were not adequately tested as described in Appendix B of this standard thereby exposing employees to potentially hazardous atmospheres.

Issued

May 23, 2018

Abate by

Jul 11, 2018

Penalty

Initial $0 · Current $0

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1910.146(d)(4)(viii): Under the permit-required confined space program required by 29 CFR 1910.146(c)(4), the employer did not provide, at no cost to the employees, rescue and emergency equipment needed to comply with 29 CFR 1910.146(d)(9):  a. On or about March 1, 2018, in the work area, employees required to enter permit required confined spaces were not provided appropriate rescue ropes to attached to their harnesses and the retrieval device was not used during entries.  Employees were thereby exposed to the hazards of permit required confined spaces.

Issued

May 23, 2018

Abate by

Jul 11, 2018

Penalty

Initial $0 · Current $0

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1910.146(e)(6): The employer did not retain each canceled entry permit for at least one year to facilitate the review of the permit-required confined space program required by 29 CFR 1910.146(d)(14):  a. On or about January 26, 2018, in the work area, employees were required to work in a tank trailer, a permit required confined space.  The employer did not retain copies of the permits for the required permit confined space entries for dates during the last six months.  The employer therefore could not evaluate the confined space program for effectiveness.

Issued

May 23, 2018

Abate by

Aug 31, 2018

Penalty

Initial $0 · Current $0

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1910.146(h)(3): The employer did not ensure that all authorized entrants communicated with the attendant as necessary to enable the attendant to monitor entrants of the need to evacuate the space as required by 29 CFR 1910.146(i)(6):      a. On or about April 4, 2018, in the work area, employees (authorized entrants) were required to perform abrasive blasting inside a tank, a permit required confined space. The employer did not provide devices such as radios for the entrant to communicate with the attendant as necessary.

Issued

May 23, 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 January 26, 2108, in the work area, the new employees were not trained in the hazards associated with chemicals such as, but not limited to, toluene and xylene.