OSHA Inspection: AIRBORNE MAINTENANCE AND ENGINEERING SERVICES, INC.

Issued

Jun 9, 2020

Abate by

Jun 19, 2020

Penalty

Initial $8,193 · Current $4,097 Reduced

Hazardous substances 06899135

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1910.134(g)(1)(i)(A): The employer shall not permit respirators with tight-fitting facepieces to be worn by employees who have facial hair that comes between the sealing surface of the facepiece and the face or that interferes with valve function;    (a)  On or about March 17, 2020, an employee was wearing a full beard that could interfere with the face to facepiece seal of the 3M full face 4419 and 3M half face 0029 tight fitting respirators that employee was required to wear while sanding and grinding aircraft parts in the composite and paint department, where they were exposed to hexavalent chromium (carcinogen.)

Issued

Jun 9, 2020

Abate by

Jun 15, 2020

Penalty

Initial $8,193 · Current $4,097 Reduced

Hazardous substances 06899135

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1910.242(b): Compressed air used for cleaning. Compressed air shall not be used for cleaning purposes except where reduced to less than 30 p.s.i. and then only with effective chip guarding and personal protective equipment.    (a)  On or about March 17, 2020 employees were using compressed air, which was provided specifically for the operation of pneumatic workplace tools, for cleaning purposes, without reducing the pressure to less than 30 p.s.i.

Issued

Jun 9, 2020

Abate by

Jun 15, 2020

Penalty

Initial $8,193 · Current $4,097 Reduced

Hazardous substances 06899135

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1910.1026(h)(1): Provision and use. Where a hazard is present or is likely to be present from skin or eye contact with chromium (VI), the employer shall provide appropriate personal protective clothing and equipment at no cost to employees, and shall ensure that employees use such clothing and equipment.    (a)  On or about March 17, 2020 the employer did not require the use of personal protective equipment, such as Tyvek suits, for employees who were exposed to airborne dust containing hexavalent chromium when sanding and grinding aircraft parts in the composite and paint department.

Issued

Jun 9, 2020

Abate by

Jun 15, 2020

Penalty

Initial $0 · Current $0

Hazardous substances 06899135

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1910.1026(h)(3)(ii): The employer shall prohibit the removal of chromium (VI) from protective clothing and equipment by blowing, shaking, or any other means that disperses chromium (VI) into the air or onto an employee's body.    (a)  On or about March 17, 2020, employees in the composite and paint department used compressed air to blow dust from sanding and grinding off of their clothing and equipment when hexavalent chromium was present.

Issued

Jun 9, 2020

Abate by

Jun 15, 2020

Penalty

Initial $0 · Current $0

Hazardous substances 06899135

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1910.1026(j)(2)(i): The employer shall ensure that surfaces contaminated with chromium (VI) are cleaned by HEPA-filter vacuuming or other methods that minimize the likelihood of exposure to chromium (VI).    (a)  The employer provided shop vacuums and brooms for cleaning areas where dust from hexavalent chromium that was found to be present in the dust from sanding and grinding of aircraft parts.

Issued

Jun 9, 2020

Abate by

Jun 15, 2020

Penalty

Initial $0 · Current $0

Hazardous substances 06899135

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1910.1026(j)(2)(iii)(A): When compressed air was used to remove chromium (VI) from surfaces, the employer did not ensure that the compressed air was used in conjunction with a ventilation system designed to capture the dust cloud created by the compressed air:    (a)  On or about March 17, 2020, employees in the composite and paint department used compressed air to blow dust from sanding and grinding off of their tools and equipment when hexavalent chromium was present in the sanding booth and at the downdraft table.        1.  Some employees turned off the ventilation in the booth before cleaning with compressed air.      2.  The downdraft table was not designed to capture the dust produced by compressed air used for cleaning.