OSHA Inspection: AMAZING VITAMINS LLC

Issued

2020-01-24 00:00:00

Abate by

2020-02-27 00:00:00

Penalty

Initial $3084.00 · Current $3084.00

Hazardous substances 8111

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1910.95(c)(1): The employer did not administer a continuing, effective hearing conservation program as described in 29 CFR 1910.95(c) through (o) whenever employee noise exposures equal or exceed an 8-hour time-weighted average sound level of 85 decibels measured on the A scale, or equivalently a dose of fifty percent:  a) Tablet Machine Operator: An employee was monitored over 7 hours 16 minutes and was exposed to continuous noise at 87.9 decibels averaged over 8-hours with zero exposure averaged for any unsampled time. The equivalent dose was 74.8% of OSHAs Permissible Exposure Limit for Noise, which is 90 decibels. The employer did not administer a hearing conservation program, thus exposing the employee to irreversible hearing loss, on or about September 5, 2019.

Issued

2020-01-24 00:00:00

Abate by

2020-03-26 00:00:00

Penalty

Initial $0.00 · Current $0.00

Hazardous substances 8111

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1910.95(g)(1): The employer did not establish and maintain an audiometric testing program as provided in this paragraph by making audiometric testing available to all employees whose exposures equal or exceed an 8-hour time-weighted average of 85 decibels.  a) Tablet Machine Operator: An employee was monitored over 7 hours 16 minutes and was exposed to continuous noise at 87.9 decibels averaged over 8-hours with zero exposure averaged for any unsampled time. The equivalent dose is 74.8% of OSHAs Permissible Exposure Limit for noise, which is 90 decibels. The employer did not establish baseline and maintain an audiometric testing program for the employee, on or about September 5, 2019.

Issued

2020-01-24 00:00:00

Abate by

2020-02-27 00:00:00

Penalty

Initial $0.00 · Current $0.00

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1910.95(i)(3): Employees were not given the opportunity to select their hearing protectors from a variety of suitable hearing protectors provided by the employer.  a) Tablet Machine Operator: An employee was monitored over 7 hours 16 minutes and was exposed to continuous noise at 87.9 decibels averaged over 8-hours with zero exposure averaged for any unsampled time. The equivalent dose was 74.8% of OSHAs Permissible Exposure Limit for Noise, which is 90 decibels. The employer did not give employees the opportunity to select their hearing protectors from a variety of suitable hearing protectors provided by the employer, on or about September 5, 2019.

Issued

2020-01-24 00:00:00

Abate by

2020-02-27 00:00:00

Penalty

Initial $0.00 · Current $0.00

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1910.95(k)(1): The employer did not train each employee who is exposed to noise at or above an 8-hour time-weighted average of 85 decibels in accordance with the requirements of 29 CFR 1910.95(k). The employer did not institute a training program and ensure employee participation in the program:  a) Tablet Machine Operator: An employee was monitored over 7 hours 16 minutes and was exposed to continuous noise at 87.9 decibels averaged over 8-hours with zero exposure averaged for any unsampled time. The equivalent dose was 74.8% of OSHAs Permissible Exposure Limit for Noise, which is 90 decibels. The employer did not institute a training program and ensure employee participation in the program, on or about September 5, 2019.

Issued

2020-01-24 00:00:00

Penalty

Initial $3084.00 · Current $3084.00

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1910.132(d)(1)(iii): The employer did not select PPE that properly fit each affected employee:  a) Packaging and Manufacturing areas: The host employer provided Personal Protective Equipment for workers who work with or around chemicals or mixtures that are flammable, corrosive, and pose health hazards or are irritants. Workers dispensed cleaners that contained chemicals, such as, but not limited to acetone, butanol, isopropyl alcohol and sodium hypochlorite, however the employer did not provide gloves in the correct sizes. The employer did not provide gloves that fit the workers. Only size large gloved were provided which reduced the dexterity of the workers with small hands, on or about July 29, 2019.

Issued

2020-01-24 00:00:00

Abate by

2020-02-27 00:00:00

Penalty

Initial $0.00 · Current $0.00

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1910.132(d)(2): The employer did not 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:  a) Packaging and Manufacturing areas: The employer provided Personal Protective Equipment for workers who work with or around chemicals or mixtures that are flammable, combustible, corrosive, and pose health hazards or are irritants. Workers dispensed and processed chemicals  or mixtures to manufacture products, however the employer did not verify that the required workplace hazard assessment had been performed through a written certification that identifies the workplace evaluated, the person certifying that the evaluation had been performed, the date of the hazard assessment, and, which identified the document as a certification of hazard assessment, on or about July 29 2019.

Issued

2020-01-24 00:00:00

Abate by

2020-03-12 00:00:00

Penalty

Initial $3084.00 · Current $3084.00

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1910.132(f)(1): The employer did not provide training to each employee who is required by this section to use personal protective equipment:  a) Packaging and Manufacturing Areas: Employees clean using chemicals such as but not limited to Sodium Hypochlorite, Isopropyl Alcohol and Butanone. Employees may also be exposed to dust from the manufacturing area. Although rules had been instituted requiring the use of gloves and safety glasses or goggles, the employer did not provide training to each employee who is required by this section to use personal protective equipment or about July 29 2019.

Issued

2020-01-24 00:00:00

Abate by

2020-02-12 00:00:00

Penalty

Initial $3856.00 · Current $3856.00

Hazardous substances 9135

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1910.134(c): The employer did not develop and implement a written respiratory protection program with required worksite-specific procedures and elements for required respirator use:  (a) Manufacturing Areas: A written respiratory protection program was not developed and implemented for employees that were required to wear either dust masks or 3M 53P71 dual cartridge respirators, on or about July 29, 2019.

Issued

2020-01-24 00:00:00

Abate by

2020-02-12 00:00:00

Penalty

Initial $0.00 · Current $0.00

Hazardous substances 9135

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1910.134(e)(1): General. The employer did not 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) Manufacturing Areas: Medical evaluations were not completed and documented for each employee that were required to wear either dust masks or 3M 53P71 dual cartridge respirators, on or about July 29, 2019.

Issued

2020-01-24 00:00:00

Abate by

2020-03-26 00:00:00

Penalty

Initial $0.00 · Current $0.00

Hazardous substances 9135

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1910.134(f)(1): The employer did not ensure that employee(s) required to use a tight-fitting facepiece respirator passed the appropriate qualitative fit test (QLFT) or quantitative fit test (QNFT):  a) Manufacturing Areas: Fit tests were not completed and documented for each employee that was required to wear either dust masks or 3M 53P71 dual cartridge respirators, on or about July 29, 2019.

Issued

2020-01-24 00:00:00

Abate by

2020-03-12 00:00:00

Penalty

Initial $3856.00 · Current $3856.00

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1910.147(c)(4)(i): Procedures were not developed, documented and utilized for the control of potentially hazardous energy when employees were engaged in activities covered by this section:  a) Establishment: The employer did not develop detailed site specific procedural steps for shutting down equipment, including but not limited to, tablet machines, capsule machines (NJP 3500, NJP 2500 NJP 2000, NJP 1200), and the Sunmatch tumble blender, prior to maintenance/servicing, to prevent unexpected release of stored energy, thus exposing employees to an amputation hazard, on or about September 5, 2019.

Issued

2020-01-24 00:00:00

Abate by

2020-02-27 00:00:00

Penalty

Initial $5398.00 · Current $5398.00

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1910.178(l)(1)(i): The employer did not ensure that each powered industrial truck operator is competent to operate a powered industrial truck safely, as demonstrated by the successful completion of the training and evaluation specified in this paragraph (l):  a. Alongside storage racks: The employer did not ensure that employees operating a Crown RR 5200 Series powered industrial truck were trained, exposing employees to falls and struck-by hazards, on or about July 29, 2019.

Issued

2020-01-24 00:00:00

Abate by

2020-02-27 00:00:00

Penalty

Initial $3856.00 · Current $3856.00

Hazardous substances E200

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1910.303(b)(2): Listed or labeled electrical equipment was not used or installed in accordance with instructions included in the listing or labeling:  (a) Manufacturing areas: Vacuums that were intended for household use were used to collect dust created during the manufacture of nutritional supplements. The dust created consisted of powders (particulate) including but not limited to microcrystalline cellulose, croscarmellose sodium and white rice flour. Dust taken from the dust collector bag was determined explosive by OSHA. The workers used the vacuums to clean in and around the dust collector bag when it was emptied, on or about September 5, 2019.

Issued

2020-01-24 00:00:00

Abate by

2020-02-27 00:00:00

Penalty

Initial $5398.00 · Current $5398.00

Hazardous substances 9135

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1910.1000(a)(2): Engineering controls were not sufficient to maintain an employee's exposure to an airborne concentration of particulates not otherwise regulated, total dust, below the Permissible Exposure Limit listed in Table Z1: an 8 hour Time Weighted Average concentration of 15 mg/m3 :  a) Manufacturing areas: An employee was exposed to components of nutritional supplements, which were evaluated as particulates not otherwise regulated, at 17.7 mg/m3 total dust, averaged over 8-hours with zero exposure averaged for any unsampled time. The worker operate machines to process ingredients to manufacture nutritional supplements, but the employer did not institute sufficient engineering controls on or about September 5, 2019.

Issued

2020-01-24 00:00:00

Abate by

2020-02-27 00:00:00

Penalty

Initial $5398.00 · Current $5398.00

Hazardous substances E200

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: (Construction Reference: 1926.59)  (a) Establishment: Workers operated and cleaned machines that are used to manufacture and package nutritional supplements. The powdered raw materials, inks and cleaning agents used contained hazardous chemicals including, but not limited to sodium hypochlorite, isopropyl alcohol, butanone, and acetone. Various nutritional supplement raw materials including but not limited to microcrystalline cellulose and white rice flour, are combustible particulate solids. A written hazard communication program was not developed nor implemented on or about July 29, 2019.

Issued

2020-01-24 00:00:00

Abate by

2020-02-27 00:00:00

Penalty

Initial $0.00 · Current $0.00

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) Packaging Area: The employer did not ensure labels were placed on containers of isopropyl alcohol that provided the necessary information including the product identifier and general information concerning the hazards of the chemical, on or about July 29, 2019.

Issued

2020-01-24 00:00:00

Abate by

2020-02-27 00:00:00

Penalty

Initial $0.00 · Current $0.00

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1910.1200(h)(1): Employers did not provide employees with effective information and training on hazardous chemicals in their work area at the time of their initial assignment, and whenever a new physical or health hazard the employees have not previously been trained about is introduced into their work area. Information and training may be designed to cover categories of hazards (e.g., flammability, carcinogenicity) or specific chemicals. Chemical-specific information must always be available through labels and material safety data sheets.  (a)Establishment: Workers operated and cleaned machines that are used to manufacture and package nutritional supplements. The powdered raw materials, inks and cleaning agents used contained hazardous chemicals including, but not limited to sodium hypochlorite, isopropyl alcohol, butanone, and acetone. Various nutritional supplement raw materials including but not limited to microcrystalline cellulose and white rice flour, are combustible particulate solids. Effective Hazard Communication training was not provided to all employees who work with or around the hazardous chemicals, on or about July 29, 2019.

Issued

2020-01-24 00:00:00

Abate by

2020-03-26 00:00:00

Penalty

Initial $3856.00 · Current $3856.00

Hazardous substances E200

General-duty citation text

OSH ACT of 1970 Section (5)(a)(1) of the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970: The employer did not furnish employment and a place of employment which were free from recognized hazards that were causing or likely to cause death or serious physical harm to employees in that employees were exposed to dust deflagration, explosion or other fire hazard:  a) Manufacturing Area: Employees scooped powdered ingredients including, but not limited to Flocel xx (microcrystalline cellulose), Vivasol (croscarmellose sodium), and white rice powder into the encapsulation and tablet machines to make nutritional supplement capsules and tablets.  The dust collector for these rooms was a Donaldson Torit 1200. The dust was sampled and determined to have a Kst of 56.17 bar*meters per second. The dust collection system including ductwork was not adequately grounded to prevent a dust deflagration, explosion or other fire hazard, on or about July 29, 2019.    b) Manufacturing Area: Employees scooped powdered ingredients including, but not limited to Flocel xx (microcrystalline cellulose), Vivasol (croscarmellose sodium), and white rice powder into the encapsulation and tablet machines to make nutritional supplement capsules and tablets.  The dust collector for these rooms was a Powermatic model PM1900PX. The dust was sampled and determined to have a Kst of 56.17 bar*meters per second. The dust collection system including ductwork was not adequately grounded to prevent a dust deflagration, explosion or other fire hazard, on or about September 5, 2019.    c) Loading Dock area, adjacent to the Manufacturing Area: Employees scooped powdered ingredients including, but not limited to Flocel xx (microcrystalline cellulose), Vivasol (croscarmellose sodium), and white rice powder into the encapsulation and tablet machines to make nutritional supplement capsules and tablets.  The dust collector for the room was a Donaldson Torit Model VS 550. The dust was sampled and determined to have a Kst of 56.17 bar*meters per second. The dust collection system including ductwork was not adequately grounded to prevent a dust deflagration, explosion or other fire hazard, on or about September 5, 2019.

Issued

2020-01-24 00:00:00

Penalty

Initial $5398.00 · Current $5398.00

General-duty citation text

OSH ACT of 1970 Section (5)(a)(1): Section5(a)(1) of the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970:  The employer did not furnish employment and a place of employment which were free from recognized hazards that were causing or likely to cause death or serious physical harm to employees in that employees were exposed to a fall hazard.  a. Warehouse Area: An employee was exposed to a fall hazard of approximately 8 feet while elevated on the forks of a Crown RR 5200 Series powered industrial truck, without using the approved work platform with fall protection, on or about July 29, 2019.

Issued

2020-01-24 00:00:00

Abate by

2020-02-27 00:00:00

Penalty

Initial $0.00 · Current $0.00

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1910.134(d)(1)(ii): The employer did not select a NIOSH-certified respirator. The respirator shall be used in compliance with the conditions of its certification.  a) Establishment: The employer provided and required workers to wear ear loop, surgical style, face masks in the production area, but the face masks were not NIOSH-certified, on or about July 29, 2019.