OSHA Inspection: WHITE BUFFALO HEMP COMPANY

Issued

Jan 17, 2019

Abate by

Feb 7, 2019

Penalty

Initial $2,956 · Current $1,900 Reduced

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1910.307(c)(2)(i): Equipment, wiring methods, and installations of equipment in hazardous (classified) locations were not intrinsically safe, approved for the hazardous (classified) location, or safe for the hazardous (classified) location:    (a) White Buffalo Hemp Co., 1254 Sherman Dr. Unit 5, Longmont, CO 80501: On or before October 1, 2018,  the employer did not ensure that equipment, wiring methods, and installations of equipment in hazardous (classified) locations were intrinsically safe, approved for the hazardous (classified) location, or safe for the hazardous (classified) location. Employees use ethanol in the marijuana extraction process.  The ethanol is used to soak bags of marijuana in open 55 gallon drums.  The filtrations unit, salad spinner, outlets, and ceiling lights located within the soak  are not approved for a Class I Division 1 location. This condition exposed employees to a flash fire hazard due to the potential for an ignition source in an area flammable vapors are present.    Abatement Note:  Among other methods, appropriate abatement methods include:  (1) Installation of engineering controls, such as chemical fume hoods, which exhausts flammable or combustible vapors from the room.

Issued

Jan 17, 2019

Abate by

Feb 7, 2019

Penalty

Initial $0 · Current $0

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1910.134(c)(1):  A written respiratory protection program with worksite specific procedures, as specified in subparagraphs (c)(1)(i) through (ix) of this section, was not established and implemented where respirator(s) were required by the employer:  (a) White Buffalo Hemp Co., 1254 Sherman Dr. Unit 5, Longmont, CO 80501: On or before October 1, 2018, the employer did not ensure that a written respiratory protection program was established and implemented in the workplace when the employer required the use of respirators during painting operations.

Issued

Jan 17, 2019

Abate by

Feb 7, 2019

Penalty

Initial $0 · Current $0

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1910.134(d)(1)(iii): 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) White Buffalo Hemp Co., 1254 Sherman Dr. Unit 5, Longmont, CO 80501: On or before October 1, 2018, the employer did not assess employees exposure to the air contaminants associated with extraction operations performed by employees.  This condition exposed employees to respiratory hazards.

Issued

Jan 17, 2019

Abate by

Feb 7, 2019

Penalty

Initial $0 · Current $0

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) White Buffalo Hemp Co., 1254 Sherman Dr. Unit 5, Longmont, CO 80501: On or before October 1, 2018,  the employer did not ensure that all employees who were required to wear a tight-fitting respirators while conducting extraction operations were medically evaluated prior to use of the respirator.     Note:  The employer may discontinue an employee's medical evaluations when the employee is no longer required to use a respirator.

Issued

Jan 17, 2019

Abate by

Feb 7, 2019

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) White Buffalo Hemp Co., 1254 Sherman Dr. Unit 5, Longmont, CO 80501: On or before October 1, 2018,  the employer did not ensure that all employees who were required to wear a tight-fitting respirators while conducting extraction operations were given a fit test prior to use of the respirator.

Issued

Jan 17, 2019

Abate by

Feb 7, 2019

Penalty

Initial $0 · Current $0

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1910.1200(e)(1): The employer did not develop, implement, and/or maintain at the workplace a written hazard communication program which describes how the criteria specified in 29 CFR 1910.1200(f), (g), and (h) will be met:  (a) White Buffalo Hemp Co., 1254 Sherman Dr. Unit 5, Longmont, CO 80501: On or before October 1, 2018, the employer did not have a written Hazard Communication Program in place that reflected the changes to the standard that occurred in 2012, and became enforceable in 2015. The written program did not have updated section for Safety Data Sheets (SDS), or labeling requirements including pictograms, hazard statements, and signal words. This condition exposes employees to hazards associated with the use of ethanol.  Abatement Note:  Abatement certification is required for this item (see enclosed "Certification of Corrective Action Worksheet").

Issued

Jan 17, 2019

Abate by

Feb 7, 2019

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) White Buffalo Hemp Co., 1254 Sherman Dr. Unit 5, Longmont, CO 80501: On or before October 1, 2018, the employer did not have a written Hazard Communication Program in place that reflected the changes to the standard that occurred in 2012, and became enforceable in 2015. The written program did not have updated section for Safety Data Sheets (SDS), or labeling requirements including pictograms, hazard statements, and signal words. Since the program was missing elements the employer could not adequately train employees on those elements. This condition exposes employees to hazards associated with the use of ethanol.  Abatement Note:  Abatement certification is required for this item (see enclosed "Certification of Corrective Action Worksheet").