OSHA Inspection: SPECIFIED PLATING CO.

Issued

Feb 15, 2019

Abate by

Apr 4, 2019

Penalty

Initial $3,031 · Current $3,031

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1910.22(a)(3): Walking-working surfaces were not maintained free of hazards such as sharp or protruding objects, loose boards, holes, corrosion, leaks, spills, snow, and ice:  a. On or about January 8, 2019, in the plating area, the aisles in front of the plating tanks were in poor condition, including loose, uneven and layered floor boards that caused tripping hazards, and an old dip tank that partially blocked a work aisle between tanks.

Issued

Feb 15, 2019

Abate by

Apr 4, 2019

Penalty

Initial $3,789 · Current $3,789

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1910.132(d)(1): The employer did not assess the workplace to determine if hazards are present, or are likely to be present, which necessitate the use of personal protective equipment (PPE):  a. On or about December 6, 2018, in the work area, the employer did not adequately assess what personal protective equipment was required in the facility, such as eye and face protection and chemical resistant gloves to protect affected employees from contact with hexavalent chromium and corrosive chemicals, such as nitric acid.

Issued

Feb 15, 2019

Penalty

Initial $0 · Current $0

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1910.133(a)(1): The employer did not ensure that each affected employee uses appropriate eye or face protection when exposed to eye or face hazards from flying particles, molten metal, liquid chemicals, acids or caustic liquids, chemical gases or vapors, or potentially injurious light radiation.  a. On or about January 8, 2018, in the plating area, employees were required to operate the hoist on the plating line by chemical tanks. The employer did not ensure that the employees used protective safety glasses, goggles or faceshields. Employees were thereby exposed to potential eye injuries from nitric acid and hexavalent chromium.

Issued

Feb 15, 2019

Abate by

Feb 28, 2019

Penalty

Initial $0 · Current $0

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1910.138(a): The employer did not select and require employees to use appropriate hand protection when employees hands were exposed to hazardous condition(s):   a. On or about January 8, 2019, in the plating area, the employees hands were exposed to chemicals such as, but not limited to hexavalent chromium and nitric acid and were not provided and required to use appropriate gloves.

Issued

Feb 15, 2019

Penalty

Initial $3,789 · Current $3,789

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1910.151(c): Where employees were exposed to injurious corrosive materials, suitable facilities for quick drenching or flushing of the eyes and body were not provided within the work area for immediate emergency use:  a. On or about December 6, 2018, the plating area, employees required to work with acid solutions were not provided with working facilities for drenching or flushing the eyes and body.

Issued

Feb 15, 2019

Penalty

Initial $3,789 · Current $3,789

Hazardous substances 0689

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1910.1026(d)(1): The employer with a workplace or work operation covered by this standard did not determine the 8-hour time-weighted average exposure for each employee exposed to chromium (VI).   The employer is to make this determination in accordance with either paragraph (d)(2), the scheduled monitoring option, or paragraph (d)(3), the performance-oriented option.   a. On or about January 8, 2019, in the plating area, the plating operators were required to work on a production line that included two dip tanks containing hexavalent chromium. The employees were exposed to chromium (VI) at a time weighted average (TWA) of 0.0009 and 0.0006 mg/m3.  The employer did not perform initial air monitoring to determine the 8-hour TWA exposure for each employee exposed to chromium (VI). The limit was established to prevent nasal septum ulceration and perforation, dermatitis, asthma and lung cancer.

Issued

Feb 15, 2019

Abate by

Apr 4, 2019

Penalty

Initial $0 · Current $0

Hazardous substances 0689

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1910.1026(i)(3)(ii): The employer did not ensure that employees who had skin contact with  chromium (VI) wash their hands and faces at the end of the work shift and/or prior to eating, drinking, smoking, chewing tobacco or gum, applying cosmetics, or using the toilet.    a. On or about January 8, 2019, at the site, employees exposed to 0.0009 and 0.0006 mg/m3 of chromium VI were not required to wash their hands and face before eating, drinking or using the toilet.

Issued

Feb 15, 2019

Abate by

Feb 28, 2019

Penalty

Initial $0 · Current $0

Hazardous substances 0689

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1910.1026(i)(4)(i): Employees were allowed to consume food or beverages at a worksite where chromium (VI) was present; however, the employer did not ensure that the eating and drinking areas were maintained as free as practicable of chromium (VI).  a. On or about January 8, 2019, in the plating area, the employees were allowed to eat on tables that were contaminated with 0.17 to 0.378 micrograms of chromium (VI).

Issued

Feb 15, 2019

Abate by

Apr 4, 2019

Penalty

Initial $0 · Current $0

Hazardous substances 0689

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1910.1026(l)(1)(iii): The employer had not included chromium (VI) in the hazard communication program, established to comply with the Hazard Communication Standard, 29 CFR 1910.1200, ensured that each employee had access to labels on containers of chromium (VI) and to safety data sheets, and was trained in accordance with the requirements of the Hazard Communication Standard and 29 CFR 1910.1026(l)(2), including the contents of the Hexavalent Chromium Standard, the purpose and a description of the medical surveillance program, and made copies of this standard available to all affected employees:   a. On or about January 8, 2019, at the site, employees required to work on the plating line were exposed to chromium (VI) at 0.0009 mg/m3. The employer did not train the employees on the hazards associated with chromium (VI), the chromium (VI) standard, the medical surveillance paragraph and availability of the standard.

Issued

Feb 15, 2019

Abate by

Apr 4, 2019

Penalty

Initial $5,304 · Current $5,304

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) On or about January 8, 2019, the employer did not develop and implement a written hazard communication program in accordance with 29 CFR 1910.1200(e)(1) that would describe or include at least the following:    1) Requirement for labeling of containers of hazardous chemicals; 2) Safety data sheet availability; 3) Training of employees; 4) A complete list of hazardous chemicals known to be present in the workplace; 5) Methods to inform employees of the hazards on non-routine tasks; and 6) Methods to inform other employer(s) of material safety data sheet availability; the labeling system and any precautionary measures to protect employees.    Employees were required to work with plating chemicals and exposed to hazardous materials, including hexavalent chromium, cyanide and nitric acid.

Issued

Feb 15, 2019

Abate by

Feb 28, 2019

Penalty

Initial $0 · Current $0

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1910.1200(f)(6)(ii): Except as provided in 29 CFR 1910.1200(f)(7) and 29 CFR 1910.1200(f)(8), the employer did not ensure that each container of hazardous chemicals in the workplace was labeled, tagged or marked with the product identifier and words, pictures, symbols, or combination thereof, which provide at least general information regarding the hazards of the chemicals and which, in conjunction with the other information immediately available to employees under the hazard communication program, would provide employees with the specific information regarding the physical and health hazards of the hazardous chemical.  a. On or about December 6, 2018, in the plating area, there were tanks with cyanide and nitric acid that had no chemical identifiers and three tanks of trivalent and hexavalent chromium that had incorrect chemical identifiers.

Issued

Feb 15, 2019

Abate by

Apr 4, 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. On or about January 8, 2019, in the plating area, employees worked with various chemicals for the plating operation. The employer did not ensure that the employees were trained in the hazards associated with chemicals such as, but not limited to, cyanide and nitric acid.

Issued

Feb 15, 2019

Abate by

Feb 22, 2019

Penalty

Initial $0 · Current $0

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1910.141(d)(2)(iv): Lavatories were not provided with individual hand towels or sections thereof, of cloth or paper, warm air blowers or clean individual sections of continuous cloth toweling.  a. On or about January 8, 2019, in the work area, the employer did not provide hand towels in the bathroom where employees exposed to Chromium (VI) were required to wash their hands before eating.

Issued

Feb 15, 2019

Abate by

Apr 4, 2019

Penalty

Initial $0 · Current $0

Hazardous substances 1440

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1910.151(b): First aid supplies approved by a consulting physician were not readily available:  a. On or about December 6, 2018, in the facility, the employer uses a cyanide solution in the plating area and did not have a current cyanide antidote kit on site in case of an hydrogen cyanide exposure.