OSHA Inspection: AMERILUX INTERNATIONAL LLC

Issued

Sep 6, 2019

Abate by

Oct 4, 2019

Penalty

Initial $6,630 · Current $2,818 Reduced

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1910.23(c)(11): (11) Portable ladders used to gain access to an upper landing surface have side rails that extend at least 3 feet (0.9 m) above the upper landing surface (see Figure D-1):    a) On or about March 22, 2019, the side rails of the multi-positional ladder used to access the storage area above the Sample Room did not extend past the storage area floor.

Issued

Sep 6, 2019

Penalty

Initial $5,636 · Current $0 Reduced

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1910.28(b)(1)(i): (1) Unprotected sides and edges.  (i) Except as provided elsewhere in this section, the employer must ensure that each employee on a walking-working surface with an unprotected side or edge that is 4 feet (1.2 m) or more above a lower level is protected from falling by one or more of the following: Guardrail systems; Safety net systems; or Personal fall protection systems, such as personal fall arrest, travel restraint or positioning systems.     a)  On or about March 22, 2019, the employer had not installed an approved method of fall protection for the nine foot fall when obtaining supplies in the storage area above the Sample Room.

Issued

Sep 6, 2019

Penalty

Initial $0 · Current $0

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1910.29(b)(10): (10) When guardrail systems are used at hoist areas, a removable guardrail section, consisting of a top rail and midrail, are placed across the access opening between guardrail sections when employees are not performing hoisting operations.  The employer may use chains or gates instead of a removable guardrail section at hoist areas if the employer demonstrates the chains or gates provide a level of safety equivalent to guardrails:   a) On or about March 22, 2019, the edge of the loading area for the Production Aisle Mezzanine Area near Pallet Storage Area AF-2 nine feet above the floor was guarded by a single chain at the height of a top rail. There was not a midrail installed.

Issued

Sep 6, 2019

Abate by

Oct 4, 2019

Penalty

Initial $6,630 · Current $3,315 Reduced

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1910.95(c)(1): The employer shall administer a continuing, effective hearing conservation program, as described in paragraphs (c) through (o) of this section, whenever employee noise exposures equal or exceed an 8-hour time-weighted average sound level (TWA) of 85 decibels measured on the A scale (slow response) or, equivalently, a dose of fifty percent. For purposes of the hearing conservation program, employee noise exposures shall be computed in accordance with appendix A and Table G-16a, and without regard to any attenuation provided by the use of personal protective equipment:    a) On March 29, 2019, the Router Operator was exposed was exposed to a noise dosage of 180.9% over a 452 minute time period. A noise dosage of 180.9% is equivalent to 8-hour time-weighted average of 94.3 dBA. The employer had not implemented a hearing conservation program.     b) On March 29, 2019, the Beam Saw Operator was exposed was exposed to a noise dosage of 102.8% over a 451 minute time period. A noise dosage of 102.8% is equivalent to 8-hour time-weighted average of 90.2 dBA. The employer had not implemented a hearing conservation program.      All provisions of 29 CFR 1910.95(c) through (n) must be covered in a hearing conservation program. Key elements include, but are not limited to the following:  1. Noise level monitoring  2. Audiometric testing  3. Providing and usage of hearing protection  4. Training program  5. Provide access to the 29 CFR 1910.95 Occupational Noise Exposure standard to employees   6. Recordkeeping

Issued

Sep 6, 2019

Abate by

Oct 4, 2019

Penalty

Initial $3,978 · Current $1,989 Reduced

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1910.134(c)(2)(ii): In addition, the employer must establish and implement those elements of a written respiratory protection program necessary to ensure that any employee using a respirator voluntarily is medically able to use that respirator, and that the respirator is cleaned, stored, and maintained so that its use does not present a health hazard to the user. Exception: Employers are not required to include in a written respiratory protection program those employees whose only use of respirators involves the voluntary use of filtering facepieces (dust masks):    a) On or about March 22, 2019, the employer had not developed and implemented a written respiratory protection program for employees voluntarily using half mask cartridge respirators.

Issued

Sep 6, 2019

Abate by

Oct 4, 2019

Penalty

Initial $0 · Current $0

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1910.134(e)(1): General. The employer shall provide a medical evaluation to determine the employee's ability to use a respirator, before the employee is fit tested or required to use the respirator in the workplace. The employer may discontinue an employee's medical evaluations when the employee is no longer required to use a respirator:  a) On or about March 22, 2019, the employer had not provided medical evaluations to employees voluntarily wearing half mask cartridge respirators.

Issued

Sep 6, 2019

Abate by

Oct 4, 2019

Penalty

Initial $0 · Current $0

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1910.134(h)(2)(i): All respirators shall be stored to protect them from damage, contamination, dust, sunlight, extreme temperatures, excessive moisture, and damaging chemicals, and they shall be packed or stored to prevent deformation of the facepiece and exhalation valve:  a) On or about March 22, 2019, a half mask cartridge respirator available for voluntary usage was stored on a dusty cabinet shelf and not placed in a container.

Issued

Sep 6, 2019

Abate by

Oct 4, 2019

Penalty

Initial $0 · Current $0

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1910.134(k)(6): The basic advisory information on respirators, as presented in Appendix D of this section, shall be provided by the employer in any written or oral format, to employees who wear respirators when such use is not required by this section or by the employer:  a) On or about March 22, 2019, the employer had not trained employees voluntarily wearing dusk masks and half mask cartridge respirators on the contents of 29 CFR 1910.134 Appendix D.

Issued

Sep 6, 2019

Abate by

Oct 4, 2019

Penalty

Initial $6,630 · Current $3,315 Reduced

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1910.147(c)(6)(i): The employer shall conduct a periodic inspection of the energy control procedure at least annually to ensure that the procedure and the requirements of this standard are being followed:    a)  The employer has not developed and implemented a periodic inspection program to ensure the procedure and the requirements of 29 CFR 1910.147 are being followed are evaluated at least annually.

Issued

Sep 6, 2019

Abate by

Oct 4, 2019

Penalty

Initial $0 · Current $0

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1910.147(c)(7)(iv): The employer shall certify that employee training has been accomplished and is being kept up to date. The certification shall contain each employee's name and dates of training:  a) The employer had not documented employees required to use energy control procedures while performing servicing and/or maintenance activities had received training on and understood the purpose and function of the energy control program, recognition of applicable hazardous energy sources in the workplace, the types and magnitude of the hazardous energy sources in the workplace, and the methods and means to be used to for energy isolation and control.    b) The employer had not documented employees who operate or work near equipment required to be locked out during servicing and maintenance activities, but do not perform the servicing and/or maintenance activities, on the purpose and function of the energy control program and procedures.

Issued

Sep 6, 2019

Abate by

Nov 29, 2019

Penalty

Initial $6,630 · Current $3,315 Reduced

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1910.212(a)(3)(ii): The point of operation of machines whose operation exposes an employee to injury, shall be guarded. The guarding device shall be in conformity with any appropriate standards therefor, or, in the absence of applicable specific standards, shall be so designed and constructed as to prevent the operator from having any part of his body in the danger zone during the operating cycle:    a) On or about March 22, 2019, the sides of the lower exposed portion of the Hendrick Saw blade, used for cutting corrugated polycarbonate, was not guarded to the full diameter of the blade by a device that automatically adjusts itself to the thickness of the material being cut and remains in contact with the material being cut.    b) On or about March 22, 2019, employees in the vicinity of the Building #2 Blade Cutter Slitter Table, used for cutting multi-walled polycarbonate, were not prevented from having the fingers and/or hands in the travel path of the cutting razor blades.

Issued

Sep 6, 2019

Abate by

Oct 4, 2019

Penalty

Initial $6,630 · Current $0 Reduced

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1910.213(c)(1): Each circular hand-fed ripsaw shall be guarded by a hood which shall completely enclose that portion of the saw above the table and that portion of the saw above the material being cut. The hood and mounting shall be arranged so that the hood will automatically adjust itself to the thickness of and remain in contact with the material being cut but it shall not offer any considerable resistance to insertion of material to saw or to passage of the material being sawed. The hood shall be made of adequate strength to resist blows and strains incidental to reasonable operation, adjusting, and handling, and shall be so designed as to protect the operator from flying splinters and broken saw teeth. It shall be made of material that is soft enough so that it will be unlikely to cause tooth breakage. The hood shall be so mounted as to insure that its operation will be positive, reliable, and in true alignment with the saw; and the mounting shall be adequate in strength to resist any reasonable side thrust or other force tending to throw it out of line:    a) On or about March 22, 2019, the Grizzly 10 Inch Table Saw Model G1023Z blade hood was adjusted so the blade hood did not contact the material being cut.

Issued

Sep 6, 2019

Abate by

Nov 29, 2019

Penalty

Initial $0 · Current $0

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1910.213(c)(2): Each hand-fed circular ripsaw shall be furnished with a spreader to prevent material from squeezing the saw or being thrown back on the operator. The spreader shall be made of hard tempered steel, or its equivalent, and shall be thinner than the saw kerf. It shall be of sufficient width to provide adequate stiffness or rigidity to resist any reasonable side thrust or blow tending to bend or throw it out of position. The spreader shall be attached so that it will remain in true alignment with the saw even when either the saw or table is tilted. The provision of a spreader in connection with grooving, dadoing, or rabbeting is not required. On the completion of such operations, the spreader shall be immediately replaced:    a) On or about March 22, 2019, the Grizzly 10 Inch Table Saw Model G1023Z was not furnished with a spreader to prevent material from squeezing the saw or being thrown back on the operator.

Issued

Sep 6, 2019

Abate by

Nov 29, 2019

Penalty

Initial $0 · Current $0

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1910.213(c)(3): Each hand-fed circular ripsaw shall be provided with nonkickback fingers or dogs so located as to oppose the thrust or tendency of the saw to pick up the material or to throw it back toward the operator. They shall be designed to provide adequate holding power for all the thicknesses of materials being cut:    a) On or about March 22, 2019, the Grizzly 10 Inch Table Saw Model G1023Z was not furnished with nonkickback fingers or dogs to prevent material from being thrown back on the operator.

Issued

Sep 6, 2019

Abate by

Oct 4, 2019

Penalty

Initial $3,978 · Current $1,989 Reduced

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1910.305(g)(1)(iv)(A): Unless specifically permitted otherwise in paragraph (g)(1)(ii) of this section, flexible cords and cables may not be used as a substitute for the fixed wiring of a structure:    a) On or about March 22, 2019, the electrical power for the Sample Room overhead lights, computer, monitor, printer, labeler, heater and other devices was supplied by a single extension cord.