OSHA Inspection: ALLIED STEEL CORPORATION, INC.

Issued

2020-09-02 00:00:00

Abate by

2020-09-15 00:00:00

Penalty

Initial $4626.00 · Current $3000.00 Reduced

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1910.94(a)(5)(ii): Abrasive-blasting respirators were not worn by all abrasive-blasting operators when using silica sand in manual blasting operations where the nozzle and blast were not physically separated from the operator in an exhaust ventilated enclosure:  a) Abrasive blasting area; On or about March 6, 2020 and at times prior to the employer required that employees work with and around concentrations of crystalline silica that were previously known to exceed the permissible exposure limit without ensuring that employees utilized the appropriate personal protective equipment such as but not limited to air supplied respirators exposing the employees to hazards associated with crystalline silica.

Issued

2020-09-02 00:00:00

Abate by

2020-09-15 00:00:00

Penalty

Initial $0.00 · Current $0.00

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1910.94(a)(5)(v): Operators were not equipped with heavy canvas or leather gloves and aprons or equivalent protection to protect them from the impact of abrasives:  a) Abrasive blasting area; On or about March 6, 2020 and at times prior to the employer allowed employees to operate abrasive cleaning nozzles without requiring that employees use personal protective equipment that would protect the employees from impact of abrasives while conducting blasting operation exposing the employees to struck by hazards.

Issued

2020-09-02 00:00:00

Abate by

2020-09-15 00:00:00

Penalty

Initial $4626.00 · Current $3000.00 Reduced

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1910.244(b): Abrasive blast cleaning nozzle(s) were not equipped with an operating valve which had to be held open manually:  a) Abrasive blasting area; on or about March 6, 2020 and at times prior to the employer allowed abrasive blast cleaning nozzles to be utilized that were not equipped with an operating valve that had to be held open manually exposing the employees to struck by hazards.  b) Abrasive blasting area; on or about March 16, 2020 and at times prior to the employer allowed abrasive blast cleaning nozzles to be utilized with devices that were designed to bypass the manual operating valve so that the cleaning nozzles could be used without having to depress the operating valve exposing employees to struck by hazards.

Issued

2020-09-02 00:00:00

Abate by

2020-09-15 00:00:00

Penalty

Initial $4626.00 · Current $3000.00 Reduced

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1910.1053(c): The employer did not ensure that no employee was exposed to an airborne concentration of respirable crystalline silica in excess of 50 µg/m3, calculated as an 8-hour TWA:  a) Abrasive blasting area, employee #1; On July 30, 2020 and at times prior to the employer exposed employees to an 8 hour calculated Time Weighted Average (TWA) of 957 micrograms per cubic meter of air which is 19.1 times the calculated 8 hour time weight average Permissible Exposure Level (PEL) of 50.0 micrograms per cubic meter of air while prepping steel pilings for paint.  Results were calculated based on the 200 minute sampling period averaged with no exposure assumed for the 280 minute period not sampled.    b) Abrasive blasting area, employee #2; On July 30, 2020 and at times prior to the employer exposed employees to an 8 hour calculated Time Weighted Average (TWA) of 437 micrograms per cubic meter of air which is 8.7 times the calculated 8 hour time weight average Permissible Exposure Level (PEL) of 50.0 micrograms per cubic meter of air while prepping steel pilings for paint. Results were calculated based on the 103 minute sampling period averaged with no exposure assumed for the 377 minute period not sampled.

Issued

2020-09-02 00:00:00

Abate by

2020-09-15 00:00:00

Penalty

Initial $4626.00 · Current $3500.00 Reduced

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1910.1053(d)(3)(iv): Where the most recent exposure monitoring indicated that employee exposures were above the PEL, the employer did not repeat such monitoring within three months of the most recent monitoring:  a) Abrasive blasting area; On or about March 16, 2020 and at times prior to the employer required that employees utilize sand that contained crystalline silica during abrasive blast cleaning without conducting exposure monitoring on a quarterly basis after an inspection was conducted in 2015 where silica overexposures were observed.

Issued

2020-09-02 00:00:00

Abate by

2020-09-15 00:00:00

Penalty

Initial $0.00 · Current $0.00

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1910.1053(e)(2)(i): The employer did not demarcate regulated areas from the rest of the workplace in a manner that minimized the number of employees exposed to respirable crystalline silica within the regulated area:  a) Abrasive blasting area; On or about March 16, 2020 and at times prior to the employer allowed employees to conduct sandblasting operations without putting in place methods to limit the amount of workers that could enter the blasting areas such as physical barriers or signs.

Issued

2020-09-02 00:00:00

Abate by

2020-09-15 00:00:00

Penalty

Initial $0.00 · Current $0.00

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1910.1053(f)(2)(i): The employer did not establish and implement a written exposure control plan:  a) Abrasive blasting areas; On or about March 16, 2020 and at times prior to the employer failed to create and implement a written exposure control plan for crystalline silica when blasting agents that contained crystalline silica were in use as is required by the standard.

Issued

2020-09-02 00:00:00

Abate by

2020-09-15 00:00:00

Penalty

Initial $0.00 · Current $0.00

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1910.1053(i)(2): The employer did not make available an initial (baseline) medical examination within 30 days after initial assignment when the employee had not received a medical examination that meets the requirements of this section within the last three years:  a) Abrasive blasting employees; On or about March 16, 2020 and at times prior to the employer required that employees operate abrasive blast cleaning nozzles that utilized sand containing crystalline silica without making available to those employees a medical evaluation after their initial assignment and every three years to determine their level of exposure to crystalline silica and if current practices and personal protective equipment was sufficient exposing the employees to hazards associated with crystalline silica.

Issued

2020-09-02 00:00:00

Abate by

2020-09-15 00:00:00

Penalty

Initial $0.00 · Current $0.00

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1910.1053(j)(1): The employer did not include respirable crystalline silica in the program established to comply with the hazard communication standard (HCS) (29 CFR 1910.1200):    a) Production employees; On or about March 16, 2020 and at times prior to the employer required that employees conduct abrasive blasting tasks using sand that contains crystalline silica without first including respirable crystalline silica and hazards associated with in the hazard communication program and training.

Issued

2020-09-02 00:00:00

Abate by

2020-09-15 00:00:00

Penalty

Initial $0.00 · Current $0.00

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1910.1053(j)(2): The employer did not post signs at all entrances to regulated areas that bear the following legend:  DANGER                                                                               RESPIRABLE CRYSTALLINE SILICA  MAY CAUSE CANCER  CAUSES DAMAGE TO LUNGS  WEAR RESPIRATORY PROTECTION IN THIS AREA  AUTHORIZED PERSONNEL ONLY  a) Abrasive blasting area; On or about March 16, 2020 and at times prior to the employer allowed employees to conduct sandblasting operations without putting in post signs at or around areas where sand containing crystalline silica was used as a blasting agent warning employees of the hazards present.