OSHA Inspection: AXENS NORTH AMERICA

Issued

Mar 15, 2021

Abate by

Apr 5, 2021

Penalty

Initial $13,653 · Current $8,192 Reduced

General-duty citation text

29 CFR  1910.132(a): Protective equipment, including personal protective equipment for eyes, face, head, and extremities, protective clothing, respiratory devices, and protective shields and barriers, was not provided, used, and maintained in a sanitary and reliable condition wherever it is necessary by reason of hazards of processes or environment, chemical hazards, radiological hazards, or mechanical irritants encountered in a manner capable of causing injury or impairment in the function of any part of the body through absorption, inhalation or physical contact:  800 Hall Street, St. Louis, MO 63147: Employer is exposing employees to hazardous conditions where the employees work with combustible powder without appropriate personal protective equipment. On 09/15/2020 an employee used a vacuum system to pull C-grade Iron powder into a hopper for mixing.  Laboratory test results revealed that the powder was a Class II Dust with Explosion Severity of  0.86, a Hartman Kst value of 19.30 bars meter per second with a Pressure Ratio of 4.95.  A single cable was used for grounding the entire system making grounding inadequate.  There was limited bonding between the combustible powder and the vacuum unit used for pulling the powder into the hopper for mixing and the rest of the equipment which created potential sources of ignition exposing the employees to fire hazards.  The employer did not provide appropriate personal protective equipment such as, but not necessarily limited to, fire resistant clothing, face protection, head protection, gloves and foot wear.

Issued

Mar 15, 2021

Abate by

Apr 5, 2021

Penalty

Initial $0 · Current $0

General-duty citation text

29 CFR  1910.132(d)(2): The employer shall 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:  8000 Hall Street, St. Louis, MO 63147: The employer is exposing employees to hazardous conditions.  The employees are conducting mixing operations in which combustible materials are used without a written certified hazard assessment of the operation to determine appropriate personal protective equipment for the employees. On 09/15/2020 an employee using a vacuum attachment to pull combustible powder material into a mixing hopper was not made aware of the potential hazards of the combustible powder through a written certified hazard assessment for the operation.  The employee sustained third degree burns from a fire due to the combustible C-grade Iron powder.

Issued

Mar 15, 2021

Abate by

Apr 5, 2021

Penalty

Initial $5,851 · Current $3,511 Reduced

General-duty citation text

29 CFR  1910.157(g)(1):Where the employer has provided portable fire extinguishers for employee use in the workplace, the employer shall also provide an educational program to familiarize employees with the general principles of fire extinguisher use and the hazards involved with incipient stage firefighting:  8000 Hall Street, St. Louis, MO 63147: Employer is exposing employees to hazardous conditions.  Employees are permitted to use portable fire extinguishers for incipient stage fires as required for welding activities without having been provided required annual educational program on the use of portable fire extinguishers. On September 15, 2020 employees used portable fire extinguishers to address a fire at the mixing operations area.  The employees were not provided an educational training on the use of portable fire extinguishers.

Issued

Mar 15, 2021

Abate by

Apr 5, 2021

Penalty

Initial $5,851 · Current $0 Reduced

General-duty citation text

29 CFR  1910.176(a): Permanent aisles or passageways were not appropriately marked where mechanical handling equipment was in use:   8000 Hall Street, St. Louis, MO 63147:  Employer is exposing employees to hazardous conditions where mechanical handling equipment such as forklifts is used.  The employees are permitted to work where permanent aisles and passageways are not appropriately marked.

Issued

Mar 15, 2021

Abate by

Apr 5, 2021

Penalty

Initial $0 · Current $0

General-duty citation text

29 CFR  1910.178(l)(2)(ii): The employer did not ensure that each operator had successfully completed the training consisting of a combination of formal instruction (e.g., lecture, discussion, interactive computer learning, video tape, written material), practical training (demonstrations performed by the trainer and practical exercises performed by the trainee), and evaluation of the operator's performance in the workplace:   8000 Hall Street, St. Louis, MO 63147: Employer is exposing employees to hazardous conditions where the employees are permitted to operate forklifts daily without complete training that is specific to the workplace.    Employees operated powered industrial trucks without having gone through training and performance evaluation specific to the new workplace.

Issued

Mar 15, 2021

Penalty

Initial $0 · Current $0

General-duty citation text

29 CFR  1910.178(p)(1): If at any time a powered industrial truck is found to be in need of repair, defective, or in any way unsafe, the truck shall be taken out of service until it has been restored to safe operating condition:  8000 Hall Street, St. Louis, MO 63147:  Employer is exposing employees to hazardous conditions where the employees are permitted to operate forklifts with defects. On 09/21/2020 employees operated a defective powered industrial truck, Nissan rotator, which had an unattached seat.  The defective powered industrial truck was not removed from service until the defect had been corrected.

Issued

Mar 15, 2021

Abate by

Apr 5, 2021

Penalty

Initial $9,753 · Current $5,852 Reduced

General-duty citation text

29 CFR  1910.212(a)(1): One or more methods of machine guarding was not provided to protect the operator and other employees in the machine area from hazards such as those created by point of operation, ingoing nip points, rotating parts, flying chips and sparks:  8000 Hall Street, St. Louis, MO 63147: Employer is exposing employees to amputation hazards.  Employees operated a RIDGID pedestal drill press without a guard to prevent operators of the drill press from having contact with the rotating edges of the chuck and the drill bit.

Issued

Mar 15, 2021

Abate by

Apr 5, 2021

Penalty

Initial $5,851 · Current $3,511 Reduced

General-duty citation text

29 CFR  1910.252(a)(2)(xiii)(C): Management did not insist that cutters or welders and their supervisors are suitably trained in the safe operation of their equipment and the safe use of the process:  800 Hall Street, St. Louis, MO 63147: Employer is exposing employees to hazardous conditions where the employees perform welding activities such as, but not limited to, MIG welding.  The employees and their supervisor were not trained to recognize the health and safety hazards of welding such as, but not limited to, effects of welding fumes on the respiratory system, temporary blindness, and the requirement to have firefighting device at close proximity when welding.

Issued

Mar 15, 2021

Abate by

Apr 5, 2021

Penalty

Initial $0 · Current $0

General-duty citation text

29 CFR  1910.1200(h): Employees were not provided effective information and training as specified in 29 CFR 1910.1200(h)(1) and -2 on hazardous chemicals in their work area at the time of their initial assignment and whenever a new hazard was introduced in the workplace:  8000 Hall  Street, St. Louis, MO 63147: Employer is exposing employees to hazardous conditions where the employees are permitted to work with hazardous chemicals without being provided the required training and information.   On 09/15/2020 employees worked with hazardous chemicals such as, but not limited to, C-grade Iron oxide Powder, a combustible substance, without the employer having provided information and training to the employees about the hazards of the chemicals.