OSHA Inspection: MINNOTTE MANUFACTURING CORPORATION

Issued

Jul 26, 2019

Abate by

Dec 16, 2019

Penalty

Initial $9,282 · Current $5,448 Reduced

Hazardous substances 1840

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1910.1000(a)(2): Employee(s) were exposed to an airborne concentration of nickel, metal and insoluble compounds (as Ni), listed in Table Z-1 in excess of the 8 hour Time Weighted Average concentration of 1 milligram per cubic meter of air:    a) In the T-1 Shop, on or about May 1, 2019 - A Burner was exposed to nickel, metal and insoluble compounds as (Ni), at a time weighted average exposure of 1.96 milligrams per cubic meter of air while using an ESAB Powercut 1250 plasma cutter to split panels overlayed with Inconel. The Burner then used an abrasive disc to grind the slits. This level is 1.96 times the permissible exposure limit of 1 milligram per cubic meter of air as a time weighted average concentration.  Sampling was performed by an OSHA compliance officer on May 1, 2019 for 236 minutes and zero exposure was assumed for the unsampled portion of the shift.

Issued

Jul 26, 2019

Abate by

Dec 16, 2019

Penalty

Initial $0 · Current $0

Hazardous substances 1840

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1910.252(c)(1)(iii): Local exhaust or general ventilating systems were not provided and arranged to keep the amount of toxic fumes, gases, or dusts below the maximum allowable concentration as specified in 29 CFR 1910.1000:    a) In the T-1 Shop, on or about May 1, 2019 - The employer failed to use local exhaust or general ventilating systems to keep a Burner's exopsure to nickel, metal and insoluble compounds (as Ni) below the permissible exposure limit while he used an ESAB Powercut 1250 plasma cutter and abrasive disc to split panels overlayed with Inconel.

Issued

Jul 26, 2019

Abate by

Dec 16, 2019

Penalty

Initial $0 · Current $0

Hazardous substances 1840

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1910.1000(e): Feasible administrative or engineering controls were not determined and implemented to achieve compliance with the limits prescribed in 29 CFR 1910.1000(a) through (d):    a) In the T-1 Shop, on or about May 1, 2019 - The employer failed to use feasible engineering and administrative controls to reduce a Burner's exopsure to nickel, metal and insoluble compounds (as Ni) below the permissible exposure limit while he used an ESAB Powercut 1250 plasma cutter and abrasive disc to split panels overlayed with Inconel.

Issued

Jul 26, 2019

Abate by

Sep 23, 2019

Penalty

Initial $0 · Current $0

Hazardous substances 1840

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1910.134(f)(2): Employee(s) using tight-fitting facepiece respirators were not fit tested prior to initial use of the respirator:    a) In the T-1 Shop, on or about May 1, 2019 - The employer failed to fit test a Burner who is required to wear a respirator because the Burner was overexposed to nickel, metal and insoluble compounds (as Ni) above the permissible exposure limit prior to his initial use of a tight-fitting half mask air purifying respirator.

Issued

Jul 26, 2019

Abate by

Dec 16, 2019

Penalty

Initial $0 · Current $0

Hazardous substances 0689

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1910.1026(c): Employees were exposed to an airborne concentration of chromium (VI) which exceeded 5 micrograms per cubic meter of air, as an 8-hour time-weighted average:    a) In the T-1 Shop, on or about May 1, 2019 - A Burner was exposed to hexavalent chromium at a time weighted average exposure of 22.9 micrograms per cubic meter of air while using an ESAB Powercut 1250 plasma cutter to split panels overlayed with Inconel. The Burner then used an abrasive disc to grind the slits. This level is 4.59 times the permissible exposure limit of 5 micrograms per cubic meter of air as a time weighted average concentration.  Sampling was performed by an OSHA compliance officer on May 1, 2019 for 246 minutes and zero exposure was assumed for the unsampled portion of the shift.

Issued

Jul 26, 2019

Abate by

Dec 16, 2019

Penalty

Initial $0 · Current $0

Hazardous substances 0689

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1910.1026(f)(1)(i): Feasible engineering controls and work practices were not instituted to reduce and maintain employee exposures to chromium (VI) at or below the permissible exposure limit:    a) In the T-1 Shop, on or about May 1, 2019 - The employer failed to use feasible engineering and work practice controls to reduce a Burner's exopsure to hexavalent chromium below the permissible exposure limit while he used an ESAB Powercut 1250 plasma cutter and abrasive disc to split panels overlayed with Inconel.

Issued

Jul 26, 2019

Penalty

Initial $9,282 · Current $5,448 Reduced

Hazardous substances 0689

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1910.1026(d)(2)(i): The employer using the scheduled monitoring option did not perform initial monitoring to determine the 8-hour time-weighted average exposure to chromium (VI) for each employee on the basis of a sufficient number of personal breathing zone air samples to accurately characterize full shift exposure on each shift, for each job classification, in each work area:    a) In the T-1 Shop, on or about March 28, 2019 -  The employer failed to perform initial monitoring to determine the 8-hour time-weighted average exposure to chromium (VI) on the basis of personal breathing zone air samples for Burners splitting panels overlayed with Inconel with a plasma cutter and abrasive disc.

Issued

Jul 26, 2019

Abate by

Sep 9, 2019

Penalty

Initial $6,630 · Current $4,304 Reduced

Hazardous substances 0689

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1910.1026(e)(1): The employer did not establish a regulated area wherever an employee's exposure to airborne concentrations of chromium (VI) was, or could reasonably be expected to be, in excess of the permissible exposure limit:    a) In the T-1 Shop, on or about May 1, 2019 - The employer failed to establish a regulated area where a Burner's exposure to hexavalent chromium was above the permissible exposure limit while splitting panels overlayed with Inconel with a plasma cutter.

Issued

Jul 26, 2019

Abate by

Sep 9, 2019

Penalty

Initial $9,282 · Current $5,448 Reduced

Hazardous substances 0689

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1910.1026(h)(1): A hazard was present or was likely to be present from skin or eye contact with chromium (VI); however, the employer did not provide appropriate personal protective clothing and equipment at no cost to employees, and/or did not ensure that employees used such clothing and equipment:    a) In the T-1 Shop, on or about May 1, 2019 - The employer failed to provide appropriate personal protective clothing and equipment to a Burner who was exposed to hexavalent chromium in dust and fumes while using an ESAB Powercut 1250 plasma cutter and abrasive disc to split panels overlayed with Inconel.

Issued

Jul 26, 2019

Abate by

Sep 9, 2019

Penalty

Initial $0 · Current $0

Hazardous substances 0689

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1910.1026(i)(1): The employer did not provide change rooms, in conformance with the Sanitation standard, 29 CFR 1910.141, for employees who were required to change their clothes to use protective clothing and equipment for chromium (VI) exposures:    a) In the T-1 Shop, on or about May 1, 2019 - The employer failed to provide a change room for a Burner who was exposed to hexavalent chromium in dust and fumes while using an ESAB Powercut 1250 plasma cutter and abrasive disc to split panels overlayed with Inconel.

Issued

Jul 26, 2019

Abate by

Sep 9, 2019

Penalty

Initial $0 · Current $0

Hazardous substances 0689

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1910.141(e): Where employees were required by a particular standard to wear protective clothing because of the possibility of contamination with toxic materials, the employer did not provide change rooms equipped with storage facilities for street clothes and separate storage facilities for the protective clothing:    a) In the T-1 Shop, on or about May 1, 2019 - The employer failed to provide a change room for a Burner who was exposed to hexavalent chromium in dust and fumes while using an ESAB Powercut 1250 plasma cutter and abrasive disc to split panels overlayed with Inconel.

Issued

Jul 26, 2019

Abate by

Sep 9, 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) In the T-1 Shop, on or about May 1, 2019 - The employer failed to ensure a Burner who was exposed to hexavalent chromium in dust and fumes while using an ESAB Powercut 1250 plasma cutter and abrasive disc to split panels overlayed with Inconel wash their hands and face prior to drinking and chewing tobacco.

Issued

Jul 26, 2019

Abate by

Sep 9, 2019

Penalty

Initial $0 · Current $0

Hazardous substances 0689

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1910.1026(i)(5): The employer does not prohibit eating, drinking, smoking, chewing tobacco or gum, or applying cosmetics in regulated areas, or in areas where skin or eye contact with chromium (VI) occurrs; or carry the products associated with these activities, or store such products in these areas:    a) In the T-1 Shop, on or about May 1, 2019 - The employer failed to prohibit a Burner who was exposed to hexavalent chromium in dust and fumes while using an ESAB Powercut 1250 plasma cutter and abrasive disc to split panels overlayed with Inconel from drinking and chewing tobacco in the area where the panels were split.

Issued

Jul 26, 2019

Abate by

Sep 9, 2019

Penalty

Initial $9,282 · Current $5,448 Reduced

Hazardous substances 0689

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1910.1026(j)(2)(ii): The employer did not ensure that high efficiency particulate air-filtered vacuuming or other methods that minimize the likelihood of exposure to chromium (VI) were tried and found not to be an effective cleaning method before allowing dry shoveling, dry sweeping and/or dry brushing:    a) In the T-1 Shop, on or about May 1, 2019 - The employer failed to ensure that high efficiency particulate air filtered vacuuming or other methods that minimize the likelihood of exposure to chromium (VI) were tried before allowing a Burner to dry sweep dust created from using an ESAB Powercut 1250 plasma cutter and abrasive disc to split panels overlayed with Inconel.

Issued

Jul 26, 2019

Abate by

Sep 23, 2019

Penalty

Initial $9,282 · Current $5,448 Reduced

Hazardous substances 0689

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1910.1026(k)(1)(i)(A): The employer did not make medical surveillance available for all employees who were or could be occupationally exposed to chromium (VI) at or above the action level for 30 or more days a year:    a) In the T-1 Shop, on or about May 1, 2019 - The employer failed to make medical surveillance available for a Burner who was exposed to hexavalent chromium above the permissible exposure limit while he used an ESAB Powercut 1250 plasma cutter and abrasive disc to split panels overlayed with Inconel.

Issued

Jul 26, 2019

Abate by

Sep 16, 2019

Penalty

Initial $7,956 · Current $7,956

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1910.134(e)(6): The employer did not medically determine an employee's ability to wear a respirator:    a) In the T-1 Shop, on or about May 1, 2019 - The employer did not obtain from the physician or other licensed health care professional a written recommendation regarding a Burner's ability to wear a half mask air purifying respirator while splitting panels overlayed with Inconel.     b) In the T-2 Shop, on or about May 1, 2019 - The employer did not obtain from the physician or other licensed health care professional a written recommendation regarding a Welder's ability to wear a half mask air purifying respirator while welding Inconel membranes.    c) In the T-2 Shop, on or about May 1, 2019 - The employer did not obtain from the physician or other licensed health care professional a written recommendation regarding a Fitter's ability to wear a half mask air purifying respirator while cutting, grinding, and fitting Inconel alloys.    Minnotte Manufacturing Corporation was previously cited for a violation of an equivalent Occupational Safety and Health Standard 29 CFR 1910.134(e)(6), which was contained in OSHA inspection number 1037887, citation number 1, item number 1b, and was affirmed as a final order on August 19, 2015, with respect to a workplace located at 8500 Commerce Center, Trafford, PA 15085.