OSHA Inspection: PINE FLOORING, LLC

Issued

Jun 7, 2019

Abate by

Jul 12, 2019

Penalty

Initial $2,842 · Current $2,842

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1910.1000(a)(2): Employee(s) were exposed to an airborne concentration of carbon monoxide listed in Table Z-1 in excess of the 8 hour Time Weighted Average concentration of 50 ppm:  (a) Pine Flooring, LLC at 428 Vivian St., Longmont, CO: On and before April 14, 2019, a worker was exposed to an 8-hour Time Weighted Average carbon monoxide concentration of 283.4 ppm, while conducting assigned work tasks in a carpet cleaning van. The 8-hour Time Weighted Average exposure limit for carbon monoxide is 50 ppm. This condition exposed the worker to an airborne chemical hazard.

Issued

Jun 7, 2019

Abate by

Sep 3, 2019

Penalty

Initial $0 · Current $0

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) Pine Flooring, LLC at 428 Vivian St., Longmont, CO: On and before April 14, 2019, the employer failed to implement an effective combination of engineering and administrative controls to reduce and maintain employee exposures to carbon monoxide to or below 50 ppm or less over an 8-Hour Time Weighted Averaged concentration. An employee, conducting assigned work tasks in a carpet cleaning van, was exposed to carbon monoxide at an 8-Hour Time Weighted Averaged concentration of 283.4 ppm, approximately 5.7 times the permissible exposure limit.    Abatement Note:  Feasible engineering controls include, but are not limited to:  1. Installation of local exhaust ventilation at the point of exhaust generation on the electrical generator in the van. 2. Use of general dilution ventilation in the van. 3. Evaluate the electrical generator for exhaust leaks and make repairs to ensure containment of exhaust. 4. Use of general ventilation may be adequate if the electrical generator was used outside the van or any confined spaces.    Abatement Note:  Abatement of this item will normally be multi-step as follows:    1. Effective respiratory protection shall be provided and used by exposed employees as an interim protective measure until feasible engineering and/or administrative controls can be implemented or whenever such controls fail to reduce employee exposure to within exposure limits. Only supplied-air respirators (SAR) and self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA) are effective forms of respiratory protection for carbon monoxide. Continuous monitoring devices should be used to provide employees with methods to detect if they are being exposed to hazardous concentrations of carbon monoxide.    STEP 1 ABATEMENT DATE (5 DAYS):  June 14, 2019    2.  Submit to the Area Director a written detailed plan of abatement outlining a schedule for the implementation of engineering and /or administrative measures to control employee exposures to the hazardous substance referenced in this citation.  The plan shall include, at a minimum, target dates for the following actions which should be consistent with the dates required by this citation:  a.  Evaluation of the extent and location of the hazard source; b.  Evaluation of control measure options; c.  Selection of optimum control measures; d.  Determination of control measure design; e.  Ordering and delivery of equipment; f.  Installation of control measures; g.  Training of employees in proper operation and maintenance of newly implemented control measures; and h.  Assurance of the effective performance of control measures.    All proposed control measures shall be evaluated for each particular use by a competent Industrial Hygienist or other technically qualified person.  Thirty day progress reports are required during the abatement period.  The progress report must identify the action taken to achieve abatement and the date the action was taken.    STEP 2 ABATEMENT DATE (15 DAYS): July 8, 2019    3. Abatement will be completed by the implementation of feasible engineering and/or administrative controls and upon verification of their effectiveness in achieving compliance.    STEP 3 ABATEMENT DATE (30 DAYS): August 2, 2019

Issued

Jun 7, 2019

Abate by

Jul 12, 2019

Penalty

Initial $3,978 · Current $3,978

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) Pine Flooring, LLC at 428 Vivian St., Longmont, CO: On and before April 14, 2019, the employer did not develop, implement, or maintain at the workplace a written hazard communication program. Employee are potentially exposed to hazardous chemicals, including but not limited to the following:   1. Kerosene 2. Hydramaster Corp. Blitz with Greasebreaker 3. Bridgepoint Systems Biobreak Carpet Pre-Spray 4. Bridgepoint Systems Avenge Fabric Prespray 5. Carbon monoxide

Issued

Jun 7, 2019

Abate by

Jul 12, 2019

Penalty

Initial $0 · Current $0

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1910.1200(f)(6): The employer used written materials, such as signs, placards, process sheets, or batch tickets in lieu of affixing labels to individual stationary process containers that failed to identify the container(s) to which they were applicable and did not convey the information required by 29 CFR 1910.1200(f)(5):  (a) Pine Flooring, LLC at 428 Vivian St., Longmont, CO: On and before April 14, 2019, the employer did not ensure that each container of hazardous chemicals in the workplace was labeled, tagged or marked with the identity of the hazardous chemicals contained within. A blue fuel container of kerosene was stored between the front seats of the carpet cleaning van. The kerosene was being used to fuel a water heater for carpet cleaning. The container did not have a globally harmonized system label. This condition potentially exposed employees to chemical hazards.

Issued

Jun 7, 2019

Abate by

Jul 12, 2019

Penalty

Initial $0 · Current $0

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1910.1200(g)(8):   The employer did not maintain in the workplace copies of the required safety data sheets for each hazardous chemical, and did not ensure that they were readily accessible during each work  shift to employees when they were in their work area(s):  (a) Pine Flooring, LLC at 428 Vivian St., Longmont, CO: On and before April 14, 2019, the employer did not maintain the required safety data sheets for each hazardous chemical in the workplace, including but not limited to Kerosene, Hydramaster Corp. Blitz with Greasebreaker, and Bridgepoint Systems Biobreak Carpet Pre-Spray. This condition potentially exposed employees to chemical hazards.

Issued

Jun 7, 2019

Abate by

Jul 12, 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) Pine Flooring, LLC at 428 Vivian St., Longmont, CO: On and before April 14, 2019, the employer did not provide employees with effective information and training on hazardous chemicals in their work areas. An employees did not know the hazards of the chemicals in his work areas. This condition exposed employees to chemical hazards, including but not limited to Kerosene, Hydramaster Corp. Blitz with Greasebreaker, and Bridgepoint Systems Biobreak Carpet Pre-Spray.

Issued

Jun 7, 2019

Abate by

Jul 12, 2019

Penalty

Initial $0 · Current $0

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) Pine Flooring, LLC at 428 Vivian St., Longmont, CO: On and before April 14, 2019, the employer did not assess the workplace to determine if hazards were present or likely to be present , which necessitated the use of personal protective equipment (PPE) in that employees were required to work with kerosene and dilute concentrated carpet cleaning chemicals, including but not limited to Hydramaster Corp. Blitz with Greasebreaker but the tasks had not been assessed and PPE had not been selected. Lack of a PPE hazard assessment may prevent employees from choosing and using the correct PPE for a task and may potentially expose the employees to eye and skin chemical hazards.   Abatement Note:  When then employer has determined that hazards are present, or likely to be present, the employer shall: (1)  Select, and have each affected employee use, the types of PPE that will protect the affected employee from the hazards identified in the hazard assessment; (2)  Communicate selection decisions to each affected employee; and, (3)  Select PPE that properly fits each affected employee. (4)  The employer shall verify that the required workplace hazard assessment has been performed through a written certification that identifies the workplace evaluated; the person certifying that the evaluation has been performed; the date(s) of the hazard assessment; and, which identifies the document as a certification of hazard assessment. (5)  Defective and damaged equipment. Defective or damaged personal protective equipment shall not be used.  (6)  The employer shall provide training to each employee who is required by this section to use PPE. Each such employee shall be trained to know at least the following:       (a)  When PPE is necessary;       (b)  What PPE is necessary;       (c)  How to properly don, doff, adjust, and wear PPE;       (d)  The limitations of the PPE; and, (7)  Each affected employee shall demonstrate an understanding of the training specified in paragraph (1) of this section, and the ability to use PPE properly, before being allowed to perform work requiring the use of PPE.  (8)  When the employer has reason to believe that any affected employee who has already been trained does not have the understanding and skill required by paragraph (2) of this section, the employer shall retrain each such employee. Circumstances where retraining is required include, but are not limited to, situations where:       (a)  Changes in the workplace render previous training obsolete; or       (b)  Changes in the types of PPE to be used render previous training obsolete; or       (c)  Inadequacies in an affected employee's knowledge or use of assigned PPE indicate that the employee has not     retained the requisite understanding or skill. (9)  The employer shall verify that each affected employee has received and understood the required training through a written certification that contains the name of each employee trained, the date(s) of training, and that identifies the subject of the certification. (10) Paragraphs (d) and (f) of this section apply only to 1910.133, 1910.135, 1910.136, and 1910.138. Paragraphs (d) and (f) of this section do not apply to 1910.134 and 1910.137. Note: Non-mandatory Appendix B contains an example of procedures that would comply with the requirement for a hazard assessment.

Issued

Jun 7, 2019

Abate by

Jul 12, 2019

Penalty

Initial $2,842 · Current $1,180 Reduced

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1904.39(a)(1): The employer did not report within 8-hours the death of an employee resulting from a work-related incident:     (a) Pine Flooring, LLC at 428 Vivian St., Longmont, CO: On and around April 14, 2019, The employer did not report the death of an employee from a work-related incident. An employee was conducting carpet cleaning at an unoccupied residential home on April 13, 2019. The employee was found slumped in the passenger seat of the company carpet cleaning van and was pronounced dead on April 14, 2019 by the Boulder County Coroner. The fatality was not reported until April 29, 2019 by the Longmont Police Department after analysis of postmortem heart blood by the Boulder County Coroner revealed a 45% saturation level of carboxyhemoglobin. The worker had died from asphyxia due to inhalation of products of combustion, containing carbon monoxide, from an electrical generator used to power carpet cleaning equipment.