OSHA Inspection: BRENNTAG GREAT LAKES, LLC

Issued

2019-09-26 00:00:00

Abate by

2019-11-14 00:00:00

Penalty

Initial $9471.00 · Current $6630.00 Reduced

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1910.106(d)(5)(vi)(b): The storage arrangement of liquids in flammable liquid warehouse(s) or storage building(s) was not in accordance with Table H-14 or H-15:    a. On or about May 24, 2019, in Q warehouse, the storage of flammable drums exceeded the 5,500 gallons per pile requirement described in Table H-14 of this standard.

Issued

2019-09-26 00:00:00

Penalty

Initial $5683.00 · Current $3978.00 Reduced

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. On or about May 24, 2019, in the packaging room, employees were required to wear full-face respirators  but were not adequately medically evaluated.

Issued

2019-09-26 00:00:00

Abate by

2020-02-12 00:00:00

Penalty

Initial $9472.00 · Current $6630.00 Reduced

Hazardous substances 1290

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1910.1048(c)(1): Employees were exposed to an airborne concentration of formaldehyde which exceeded 0.75 parts per million, as an 8-hour time weighted average:     a. On or about July 29, 2019, in the packaging room, an employee was exposed to formaldehyde at an eight hour time-weighted average of 2.6 parts per million (ppm), approximately 3.5 times the OSHA permissible exposure limit of 0.75 ppm.  This limit is established to prevent employees from suffering from adverse health effects such as cancer.  The exposure level was established from samples collected over a period of 142 minutes.  Zero exposure was assumed for the unsampled time period of 338 minutes.

Issued

2019-09-26 00:00:00

Abate by

2020-02-12 00:00:00

Penalty

Initial $0.00 · Current $0.00

Hazardous substances 1290

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1910.1048(c)(2): Employees were exposed to an airborne concentration of formaldehyde which exceeded two parts per million as a 15-minute short term exposure limit (STEL):    b. On or about July 29, 2019, in the packaging room, an employee was exposed to formaldehyde at a 15-minute short-term exposure limit of 17.4 parts per million (ppm), approximately 8.7 times the OSHA permissible exposure limit of 2 ppm.  This limit is established to prevent employees from suffering from adverse health effects such as cancer. The exposure level was established from a sample collected over a period of 15 minutes.

Issued

2019-09-26 00:00:00

Penalty

Initial $0.00 · Current $0.00

Hazardous substances 1290

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1910.1048(d)(2): Employees who may have been exposed at or above the action level or STEL were not identified, and the exposure was not accurately determined for each identified employee:   a. On or about May 24, 2019, in the packaging room, employees were required to dispense formaldehyde solution into drums and totes.  No initial STEL monitoring to determine employee exposure to formaldehyde was performed by the employer.

Issued

2019-09-26 00:00:00

Abate by

2020-02-12 00:00:00

Penalty

Initial $0.00 · Current $0.00

Hazardous substances 1290

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1910.1048(f)(1): Engineering controls and work practices were not instituted to reduce and maintain employee exposures to formaldehyde at or below the TWA and the STEL:   a. On or about July 29, 2019, in the packaging room, an employee was exposed to formaldehyde at an eight-hour time weighted average of 2.6 parts per million (ppm), approximately 3.5 times the OSHA permissible exposure limit of 0.75 ppm.    b. On or about July 29, 2019, in the packaging room, an employee was exposed to formaldehyde at a 15-minute short term exposure limit of 17.4 parts per million (ppm), approximately 8.7 times the OSHA permissible exposure limit of 2 ppm.    In the packaging room, general methods of control applicable in these circumstances include, but are not limited to the following:   1. Engineering controls such as additional local ventilation.  Abatement:   Step 1: Effective respiratory protection shall be provided and used by the exposed employees as an interim protective measure until engineering and/or administrative controls can be implemented, or whenever such controls fail to reduce employee exposure to within permissible exposure limits.   Date by Which Abatement is Due:  Corrected During Inspection   Step 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 exposure to the hazardous substances referenced in this citation.  The plan shall include, at minimum, target dates for the following actions which must be consistent with abatement dates required by this citation.   (1) Evaluation of engineering/administrative control options;   (2) Selection of optimum control methods and completion of design;   (3) Procurement, installation and operation of selected control measures; and   (4) Testing and acceptance or modification/redesign of controls.   Note: All proposed measures shall be approved for each particular use by a competent industrial hygienist or other qualified person. Thirty (30) day progress reports are required during the abatement period.   Date by Which Abatement is Due (60 days):  11/22/19                                   Step 3: Abatement shall have been completed by the implementation of feasible engineering and/or administrative controls upon verification of their effectiveness in achieving compliance.    Date by Which Abatement is Due (90 days):      2/7/20