OSHA Inspection: ATRIUM WINDOWS AND DOORS, INC.

Issued

Oct 24, 2018

Abate by

Dec 12, 2018

Penalty

Initial $12,934 · Current $6,467 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 1910.95(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:    This violation occurred on or about October 3, 2018 and at times prior thereto, in the production floor of the Atrium Windows and Doors Inc. dba Dow-Tech Custom Plastics facility where the employer had not administered a hearing conservation program for employees exposed to noise that had exceeded an 8-hour TWA of 85 dBA, based on an 80 db threshold:    a) A machine operator working on Plastic Extruder Machine #1 was exposed to continuous noise levels at 89.2% of the permissible 8-hour TWA.  The equivalent level of 89.2% is approximately 89.1 dBA.  Sampling was performed for 443 minutes during one shift. Zero exposure was assumed for the  37 minutes not sampled;     b) A machine operator working on Plastic Extruder Machine #4 was exposed to continuous noise levels at 99.2% of the permissible 8-hour TWA.  The equivalent level of 99.2% is approximately 89.9 dBA.  Sampling was performed for 414 minutes during one shift. Zero exposure was assumed for the 66 minutes not sampled;     c) A machine operator working on Plastic Extruder Machine #5 was exposed to continuous noise levels at 110.5% of the permissible 8-hour TWA.  The equivalent level of 110.5% is approximately 90.0 dBA.  Sampling was performed for 430 minutes during one shift. Zero exposure was assumed for the 50 minutes not sampled;     d) A machine operator working on Plastic Extruder Machine #6 was exposed to continuous noise levels at 111.0% of the permissible 8-hour TWA.  The equivalent level of 111.0% is approximately 90.7 dBA.  Sampling was performed for 427 minutes during one shift. Zero exposure was assumed for the 53 minutes not sampled;     e) A machine operator working on Plastic Extruder Machine #8 was exposed to continuous noise levels at 95.5% of the permissible 8-hour TWA.  The equivalent level of 95.5% is approximately 89.6 dBA.  Sampling was performed for 433 minutes during one shift. Zero exposure was assumed for the 47 minutes not sampled;     f) A machinist working on the production floor was exposed to continuous noise levels at 81.6% of the permissible 8-hour TWA.  The equivalent level of 81.6% is approximately 88.5 dBA.  Sampling was performed for 431 minutes during one shift. Zero exposure was assumed for the  49 minutes not sampled;     g) A supervisor working on the production floor was exposed to continuous noise levels at 88.3% of the permissible 8-hour TWA.  The equivalent level of 88.3% is approximately 89.1 dBA.  Sampling was performed for 423 minutes during one shift. Zero exposure was assumed for the 57 minutes not sampled;