OSHA Inspection: FLORENCE HARDWOODS, LLC

Issued

2020-01-15 00:00:00

Penalty

Initial $5304.00 · Current $2652.00 Reduced

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1910.28(b)(3)(ii): (ii) Each employee is protected from tripping into or stepping into or through any hole that is less than 4 feet (1.2 m) above a lower level by covers or guardrail systems;    On or about September 5, 2019, employees were exposed to tripping hazards from two approximate 17 inch wide and 2.5 feet deep floor holes located in the hog bin room which had the grated covers removed.

Issued

2020-01-15 00:00:00

Abate by

2020-02-13 00:00:00

Penalty

Initial $6630.00 · Current $0.00 Reduced

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1910.28(b)(7): (7) Openings.  The employer must ensure that each employee on a walking-working surface near an opening, including one with a chute attached, where the inside bottom edge of the opening is less than 39 inches (99 cm) above that walking-working surface and the outside bottom edge of the opening is 4 feet (1.2 m) or more above a lower level is protected from falling by the use of guardrail systems; safety net systems; travel restraint systems; or personal fall arrest systems:      (a)  Employees sorting lumber on the conveyor following the re-saw were exposed of fall hazards of approximately ten feet into a waste chute they would manually throw lumber into.    (b)  Employees sorting lumber on the conveyor following the gang saw were exposed to fall hazards of approximately ten feet into a waste chute they would manually throw lumber into.    (c)  Employees soring lumber on the conveyor following the edger were exposed to fall hazards of approximately ten feet into a waste chute they would manually throw lumber into.

Issued

2020-01-15 00:00:00

Abate by

2020-02-13 00:00:00

Penalty

Initial $9282.00 · Current $4641.00 Reduced

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1910.147(c)(1): Energy control program. The employer shall establish a program consisting of energy control procedures, employee training and periodic inspections to ensure that before any employee performs any servicing or maintenance on a machine or equipment where the unexpected energizing, startup or release of stored energy could occur and cause injury, the machine or equipment shall be isolated from the energy source and rendered inoperative.    The employer did not establish an energy control program consisting of energy control procedures, employee training, and periodic inspections when employees were engaged on servicing and maintenance tasks on equipment including the PLC Sorting and Stacking machine, McDonough Resaws, Valley Machine Edger, Northtech industrial machinery planer; Mereen-Johnson re-saws, Bark fueled boiler, along with numerous conveyors and other equipment.

Issued

2020-01-15 00:00:00

Abate by

2020-02-13 00:00:00

Penalty

Initial $0.00 · Current $0.00

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1910.147(c)(4)(i): Procedures shall be developed, documented and utilized for the control of potentially hazardous energy when employees are engaged in the activities covered by this section.   The employer did not develop, document, and utilize energy control procedures for employees engaged in servicing and maintenance tasks on equipment including the PLC Sorting and Stacking machine, McDonough Resaws, Valley Machine Edger, Northtech industrial machinery planer; Mereen-Johnson re-saws, and bark fueled boiler along with numerous conveyors and other equipment.  Note: Exception: The employer need not document the required procedure for a particular machine or equipment, when all of the following elements exist: (1) The machine or equipment has no potential for stored or residual energy or reaccumulation of stored energy after shut down which could endanger employees; (2) the machine or equipment has a single energy source which can be readily identified and isolated; (3) the isolation and locking out of that energy source will completely deenergize and deactivate the machine or equipment; (4) the machine or equipment is isolated from that energy source and locked out during servicing or maintenance; (5) a single lockout device will achieve a locker-out condition; (6) the lockout device is under the exclusive control of the authorized employee performing the servicing or maintenance; (7) the servicing or maintenance does not create hazards for other employees; and (8) the employer, in utilizing this exception, has had no accidents involving the unexpected activation or reenergization of the machine or equipment during servicing or maintenance.

Issued

2020-01-15 00:00:00

Abate by

2020-02-13 00:00:00

Penalty

Initial $0.00 · Current $0.00

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1910.147(c)(7)(i)(A): Authorized employee(s) did not receive training in the recognition of applicable hazardous energy sources, the type and magnitude of the energy available in the workplace, and the methods and means necessary for energy isolat(a) (LOCATION) (IDENTIFY SPECIFIC OPERATIONS AND/OR CONDITIONS) (IDENTIFY MACHINERY OR EQUIPMENT)  a. On or about August 1, 2019, employees performing servicing and maintenance on the PLC Inotech Sorting bin were not provided LOTO Training.

Issued

2020-01-15 00:00:00

Abate by

2020-02-13 00:00:00

Penalty

Initial $0.00 · Current $0.00

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1910.147(d): 29 CFR 1910.147(d):  The established procedure for the application of energy control (the lockout or tagout procedures) did not cover the actions listed in and was not done in sequence as required by 29 CFR 1910.147(d)(1)-(6):  (a)  On or about August 1, 2019, an employee was exposed to struck-by hazards from falling lumber when they attempted to clear a jam on the PLC Inotech Sorting bin.  The employer did not ensure the employee implemented energy control application steps prior to allowing them to engage in servicing and maintenance tasks.  The machine was not deenergized prior to the employee engaging in the activity which resulted in injury when the lumber pile fell onto the conveyor unexpectedly.  (b)  On or about August 20, 2019, an employee was exposed to struck-by hazards from falling lumber when they attempted to clear a jam on the gang-saw and following conveyor.  The employer did not ensure the employee implemented energy control application steps prior to allowing them to engage in servicing and maintenance tasks.  The machine and adjacent machines and conveyors were not deenergized prior to the employee traversing under them to reach the gang saw.  The employee was injured when a slab fell from the conveyor unexpectedly.  As a result, the applicable energy control elements, involving preparation for shutdown [1910.147(d)(1)], machine shutdown [1910.147(d)(2)], machine isolation [1910.147(d)(3)], lockout/tagout device application [1910.147(d)(4)], dissipation of residual energy [1910(d)(5)(i)], and verification of isolation [1910.147(d)(6)] were not implemented to protect employees from machine hazards.

Issued

2020-01-15 00:00:00

Penalty

Initial $6630.00 · Current $3315.00 Reduced

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1910.265(c)(18)(i): Standards. Construction, operation, and maintenance of conveyors shall be in accordance with American National Standard B20.1-1957, which is incorporated by reference as specified in Sec. 1910.6.    or in the alternative;    29 CFR 1910.219(d)(1): Guarding. Pulleys, any parts of which are seven (7) feet or less from the floor or working platform, shall be guarded in accordance with the standards specified in paragraphs (m) and (o) of this section. Pulleys serving as balance wheels (e.g., punch presses) on which the point of contact between belt and pulley is more than six feet six inches (6 ft. 6 in.) from the floor or platform may be guarded with a disk covering the spokes.    and,    29 CFR 1910.219(e)(3)(i): Vertical and inclined belts shall be enclosed by a guard conforming to standards in paragraphs (m) and (o) of this section.      (a)  On or about September 5, 2019, the pulleys for the 02-71 chip bin conveyor drive located on the chip bin conveyor line were not guarded.    (b)  On or about September 5, 2019, the pulleys for the debarker cross over conveyor drive located between the debarker and head saw were not guarded.

Issued

2020-01-15 00:00:00

Abate by

2020-02-13 00:00:00

Penalty

Initial $6630.00 · Current $3315.00 Reduced

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1910.219(f)(3): Sprockets and chains. All sprocket wheels and chains shall be enclosed unless they are more than seven (7) feet above the floor or platform. Where the drive extends over other machine or working areas, protection against falling shall be provided. This subparagraph does not apply to manually operated sprockets.    (a)  A chain and sprocket for the chain conveyor drive located under the sorting bins of the PLC Inotech sorting and stacking machine was not enclosed as required.    (b)  Two chain and sprocket drives powering the rolling lateral conveyors before the grading station on the PLC Inotech sorting and stacking machine were not enclosed as required.    (c)  The guard on a chain and sprocket drive for the chain conveyor located before the trim saw on the PLC Inotech sorting and stacking machine did not enclose the chain and sprocket as required.  The top of the guard exposed the rotating chain and sprockets.    (d)  The main chain and sprocket drive for the PLC Inotech sorting and stacking machine was not adequately guarded.  The area was guarded with a single chain with a carbineer that could be easily accessed during operation.

Issued

2020-01-15 00:00:00

Penalty

Initial $6630.00 · Current $3315.00 Reduced

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1910.265(c)(21)(ii)(a): Hog mills shall be so designed and arranged that from no position on the rim of the chute shall the distance to the cutter knives be less than 40 inches.    A Precision Husky Corporation Hog Mill located outside the basement was not provided a chute that was 40 inches or more away from the cutter head.

Issued

2020-01-15 00:00:00

Abate by

2020-02-13 00:00:00

Penalty

Initial $6630.00 · Current $3315.00 Reduced

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1910.265(c)(26)(viii): 29 CFR 1910.265(c)(26)(viii): Lower landing area(s) of stacker(s) and unstacker(s) were not guarded by enclosure(s) that prevented entrance to the area(s) or pit(s) below the hoist platform(s), nor were entrances protected by electrically interlocked gates which, when opened, disconnect the power and set the hoist brakes. *If an interlock is not installed, other positive means of protecting the entrance shall be provided:    (a)  Employees working near the PLC Inotech Sorter and Stacking machine were exposed to struck-by, crushed-by, and pinch point hazards created by the sorting bins raising and lowering.  There was no form of machine guarding to prevent employees and operators from accessing the danger zones during operation.    (b)  Employees working and traveling under the PLC Inotech Sorter and Stacking machine were exposed to struck-by, crushed-by, and pinch point hazards created by the lumber elevator to the grading table and the stacking lift table.  There was no form of machine guarding to prevent employees and operators from accessing the danger zones during operation.

Issued

2020-01-15 00:00:00

Penalty

Initial $0.00 · Current $0.00

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1910.305(b)(2)(i): All pull boxes, junction boxes, and fittings shall be provided with covers identified for the purpose. If metal covers are used, they shall be grounded. In completed installations, each outlet box shall have a cover, faceplate, or fixture canopy. Covers of outlet boxes having holes through which flexible cord pendants pass shall be provided with bushings designed for the purpose or shall have smooth, well-rounded surfaces on which the cords may bear.  On or about September 5, 2019, a junction box located on a T.S. Manufacturing conveyor next to the debarker was not closed.