OSHA Inspection: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS NORTHERN INDIANA HEALTH CARE SYSTEM

Issued

Jun 27, 2018

Abate by

Oct 15, 2018

Penalty

Initial $0 · Current $0

Hazardous substances 90109020

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1910.134(c)(1) as referenced in 1926.103: A written respiratory protection program that included the provisions in 29 CFR 1910.134(c)(1)(i) - (ix) with worksite specific procedures was not established and implemented for required respirator use:    a) On or about January 15, 2018 on the hospital grounds, an electrician was required to dry drill into concrete. The employee was exposed to silica and dust. No respiratory protection program covered this work.     b) On or about February 15, 2018 in the men's bathroom of building 51, carpentry and pipefitter employees were exposed to asbestos contained in the wall when attempting to reach and repair a leaking pipe. The material was positive for asbestos. No respiratory protection program covered this work.     c) On or about April 4, 2018 in building 2, employees were exposed to respirable silica during the removal of concrete stairs. On the day of sampling, one employee was overexposed to respirable silica by 349%. No respiratory protection program covered this work.

Issued

Jun 27, 2018

Penalty

Initial $0 · Current $0

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1910.134(k)(6): The employer did not provide the basic advisory information on respirators, as presented in Appendix D of 29 CFR 1910.134, in written or oral format to employees who wear respirators when such use was not required by the employer:  a) On or about February 16, 2018, employees working in the food service dish cleaning area were required to clean quarantined trays of patients with flu. Employees, who wore filtering face pieces to perform this work, were not given Appendix D.

Issued

Jun 27, 2018

Abate by

Oct 15, 2018

Penalty

Initial $0 · Current $0

Hazardous substances 90109020

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1910.134(d)(1)(iii)and as referenced in 1926.103: The employer did not identify and evaluate the respiratory hazard(s) in the workplace; including a reasonable estimate of employee exposures to respiratory hazards and identification of the contaminant's chemical state and physical form:                                                             a) On or about January 15, 2018 on the hospital grounds, an electrician was required to dry drill into concrete. The employee was exposed to silica and dust. No evaluation or estimate was performed.     b) On or about February 15, 2018 in the men's bathroom of building 51, carpentry and pipefitter employees were exposed to asbestos contained in the wall when attempting to reach and repair a leaking pipe. The material was positive for asbestos. No evaluation or estimate was performed. Materials not assessed were not treated as potential asbestos containing materials.    c) On or about April 4, 2018 in building 2, employees were exposed to respirable silica during the removal of concrete stairs. On the day of sampling, one employee was overexposed to respirable silica by 349%. No respiratory protection program covered this work. No evaluation or estimate was performed.

Issued

Jun 27, 2018

Abate by

Aug 14, 2018

Penalty

Initial $0 · Current $0

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1910.1030(f)(2)(i): Hepatitis B vaccination was not made available within 10 working days of initial assignment to all employee(s) with occupational exposure:  a) On or about February 1, 2018 throughout the facility, pipefitters were exposed to blood and sharps while cleaning pipes and unclogging sewage lines in the hospital facility. The pipefitters have not been offered or received the hepatitis B virus vaccine.  b) On or about April 4, 2018 throughout the facility, housekeepers were exposed to blood and sharps daily during the course of their duties of cleaning the hospital facility. The housekeepers have not been offered or received the hepatitis B virus vaccine.

Issued

Jun 27, 2018

Abate by

Oct 15, 2018

Penalty

Initial $0 · Current $0

Hazardous substances 9020

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1926.1101(f)(2)(i): The employer with a work operation covered by the asbestos standard did not ensure that a "competent person" conducted an exposure assessment immediately before or at the initiation of the operation to ascertain expected exposures during that operation or workplace:    a) On or about February 15, 2018 in the men's bathroom of building 51, carpentry and pipefitter employees were exposed to asbestos contained in the wall when attempting to reach and repair a leaking pipe. The material was positive for asbestos. No evaluation or estimate was performed. Materials not assessed were not treated as potential asbestos containing materials.

Issued

Jun 27, 2018

Abate by

Oct 15, 2018

Penalty

Initial $0 · Current $0

Hazardous substances 9020

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1926.1101(k)(8)(vii): After the building owner or employer identified previously installed presumed asbestos containing material (PACM) and/or asbestos containing material (ACM), labels or signs were not affixed or posted so that employees would be notified of what materials contain PACM and/or ACM, and/or the employer did not post signs in lieu of labels, and/or ensure, to the extent feasible, that employees who come in contact with these signs or labels could comprehend them:                                                        AND/OR IN THE ALTERNATIVE    29 CFR 1910.1001(j)(5)(i): The employer did not affix signs or labels so that employees would be notified of what materials contain ACM and/or PACM to materials that were previously identified to be ACM and/or PACM:    a) On or about February 15, 2018 in the men's bathroom of building 51, carpentry and pipefitter employees were exposed to asbestos contained in the wall when attempting to reach and repair a leaking pipe. The material was positive for asbestos. PACM and ACM had not been labeled at this establishment in any of the buildings identified in the survey.

Issued

Jun 27, 2018

Abate by

Oct 15, 2018

Penalty

Initial $0 · Current $0

Hazardous substances 9020

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1926.1101(k)(9)(i): The employer did not institute, at no cost to employees, a training program for each employee who was likely to be exposed in excess of the permissible exposure limit (PEL) and for each employee who performed Class I through IV asbestos operations:    a) On or about February 15, 2018 in the men's bathroom of building 51, carpentry and pipefitter employees were exposed to asbestos contained in the wall when attempting to reach and repair a leaking pipe. These employees had not been appropriately trained to perform work on asbestos.

Issued

Jun 27, 2018

Abate by

Oct 15, 2018

Penalty

Initial $0 · Current $0

Hazardous substances 9010

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1926.1153(d)(2)(i): The employer did not assess the exposure of each employee who was or may reasonably be expected to be exposed to respirable crystalline silica at or above the action level in accordance with either the performance option in paragraph (d)(2)(ii) or the scheduled monitoring option in paragraph (d)(2)(iii) of this section:    a) On or about April 4, 2018 in building 2, employees were exposed to respirable silica during the removal of concrete stairs. On the day of sampling, one employee was overexposed to respirable silica by 349%. Each employee had not been assessed for their exposure to silica.