OSHA Inspection: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS CAPTAIN JAMES A. LOVELL FEDERAL HEALTH CARE CENTER

Issued

May 28, 2021

Abate by

Jun 4, 2021

Penalty

Initial $0 · Current $0

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1910.146(c)(2):  Where the workplace contained permit spaces, the employer did not inform exposed employees, by posting danger signs or by any other equally effective means, of the existence and location of and the danger posed by the permit spaces:  a)    On or about December 1, 2020 through December 11, 2020, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Captain James A. Lovell Federal Health Care Center did not inform exposed employees and subcontractor(s) employees by posting danger signs, or by any other equally effective means, that SV 1.4 was a permit-required confined space and that SV 1.4 posed dangers to entrants.

Issued

May 28, 2021

Abate by

Jun 4, 2021

Penalty

Initial $0 · Current $0

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1910.146(c)(8)(ii):  When an employer (host employer) arranged to have employees of another employer (contractor) perform work that involved permit space entry, the host employer did not apprise the contractor of the elements, including the hazards identified and the host employer' s experience with the space, that make the space in question a permit space:    a)   On or about December 1,2020 through December 11, 2020, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Captain James A. Lovell Federal Health Care Center arranged to have a subcontractor (Kroeschell Engineering Co, Inc.) perform work that involved permit space entry in SV1.4 and did not apprise the contractors of the elements that made SV1.4 a permit space.

Issued

May 28, 2021

Abate by

Jun 4, 2021

Penalty

Initial $0 · Current $0

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1910.146(c)(8)(iii):  When an employer (host employer) arranged to have employees of another employer (contractor) perform work that involved permit space entry, the host employer did not apprise the contractor of any precautions or procedures that the host employer had implemented for the protection of employees in or near permit spaces where contractor personnel would be working:  a)   On or about December 1,2020 through December 11, 2020, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Captain James A. Lovell Federal Health Care Center arranged to have a subcontractor (Kroeschell Engineering Co., Inc.) perform work that involved permit space entry in SV1.4 and did not apprise the contractors of precautions and procedures dealing with topics such as adequate isolation of the steam hazard, testing and monitoring of the potentially hazardous atmosphere, the permit system, non-entry rescue, and rescue and emergency services.

Issued

May 28, 2021

Abate by

Jun 4, 2021

Penalty

Initial $0 · Current $0

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1910.146(c)(8)(iv):  When an employer (host employer) arranged to have employees of another employer (contractor) perform work that involved permit space entry, the host employer did not coordinate entry operations with the contactor, when both host employer personnel and contractor personnel would be working in or near permit spaces:  a)   On or about December 1, 2020 through December 11, 2020, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Captain James A. Lovell Federal Health Care Center arranged for subcontractor Kroeschell Engineering Co., Inc. to perform work that involved permit space entry in SV1.4 and did not coordinate entry operations with the contractors when the host employer 's personnel were also involved in the permit space entry.

Issued

May 28, 2021

Abate by

Jun 4, 2021

Penalty

Initial $0 · Current $0

General-duty citation text

29 CFR  1910.146(c)(8)(v):  The employer did not debrief the contractor at the conclusion of the entry operations regarding the permit space program followed and regarding any hazards confronted or created in permit spaces during entry operations.  a)  On or about December 1, 2020 through December 11, 2020, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Captain James A. Lovell Federal Health Care Center did not debrief with the subcontractor (Kroeschell Engineering Co., Inc. at the  conclusion of the entry(s) into SV1.4 regarding any hazards confronted or created in the permit spaces during the entry operations.

Issued

May 28, 2021

Abate by

Jun 4, 2021

Penalty

Initial $0 · Current $0

General-duty citation text

29 CFR  1910.146(d)(11):  Under the permit space program required by 29 CFR 1910.146(c)(4), the employer did not develop and implement procedures to coordinate entry operations when employees of more than one employer were working simultaneously as authorized entrants in a permit space, so that employees of one employer do not endanger the employees of any other employer:  (a)   On or about December 1, 2020 through December 11, 2020, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Captain James A. Lovell Federal Health Care Center did not develop and implement procedures to coordinate entry operations with a contractor (Kroeschell Engineering Co., Inc.) for entry into SV1.4, which involved an entry by a Captain James A. Lovell Federal Health Care Center employee and an entry by a Kroeschell Engineering Co., Inc. employee for the purpose of verification of the quality of the work completed in order to facilitate a full working pressure test of the 12" high pressure steam expansion joint.

Issued

May 28, 2021

Abate by

Jun 4, 2021

Penalty

Initial $0 · Current $0

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1910.146(d)(3)(iii):  Under the permit space program required by 29 CFR 1910.146(c)(4), the employer did not develop and implement the means, procedures, and practices necessary for safe permit space entry operations, including, but not limited to, isolating the permit space:  a)   Between December 1  and December 11, 2020, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Captain James A. Lovell Federal Health Care Center did not develop and implement the means, procedures, and practices necessary to isolate SV1.4 from the hazards posed by high-pressure steam prior to entries by a Facility Maintenance Department employee and contractor employees for repair work to the 12" high pressure steam expansion joint.

Issued

May 28, 2021

Abate by

Jun 4, 2021

Penalty

Initial $0 · Current $0

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1910.146(d)(3)(vi):  Under the permit space program required by 29 CFR 1910.146(c)(4), the employer did not develop the means, procedures, and practices necessary for safe permit space entry operations, including, but not limited to, verifying that conditions in the permit space are acceptable for entry throughout the duration of an authorized entry:  a)   On or about December 1, 2020 through December 11, 2020 , U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Captain James A. Lovell Federal Health Care Center did not develop and implement the means, procedures, and practices necessary for verifying acceptable conditions related to high-pressure steam and potential atmospheric hazards SV1.4 from the hazard posed by high-pressure steam prior to separate entries by a Facility Maintenance Department employee and the contractor's employees for evaluation of the repair subcontractor(s) work to the 12" high pressure steam expansion joint.

Issued

May 28, 2021

Abate by

Jun 4, 2021

Penalty

Initial $0 · Current $0

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1910.146(e)(1):  Before entry was authorized, the employer did not document the completion of measures required by 29 CFR 1910.146(d)(3) by preparing an entry permit:  a)   On or about December 11, 2020, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Captain James A. Lovel Federal Health Care Center did not prepare and complete entry permits for SV1.4 prior to separate entries by a Facilities Maintenance Department employee for evaluation of quality and completion of the repair work performed by subcontractor(s) to the 12" high pressure steam expansion joint in order to facilitate a working pressure test.

Issued

May 28, 2021

Abate by

Jun 4, 2021

Penalty

Initial $0 · Current $0

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1910.146(k)(3):  To facilitate non-entry rescue, retrieval systems or methods were not used whenever an authorized entrant entered a permit space:    a) On or about December 11, 2020, U.S. Department of Labor Captain James A. Lovell Federal Health Care Center did not utilize a non-entry rescue retrieval system at SV1.4 prior to an entry made by a Facility Maintenance Department employee for evaluation of the subcontractor(s) repair work to the 12" high pressure steam expansion joint.

Issued

May 28, 2021

Abate by

Jun 4, 2021

Penalty

Initial $0 · Current $0

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1910.146(c)(8)(i):  When an employer (host employer) arranged to have employees of another employer (contractor) perform work that involved permit space entry, the host employer did not inform the contractor that the workplace contained permit spaces and that permit space entry is allowed only through compliance with a permit space program meeting the requirements of 29 CFR 1910.146:  a)   On or about December 1 through December 11, 2020, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Captain James A. Lovell Federal Health Care Center arranged to have a subcontractor (Kroeschell Engineering Co., Inc. ) perform work that involved permit space entry in SV1.4 and did not inform the contractors that entry into SV1.4 was allowed only through compliance with a permit space program that met OSHA' s standard for permit-required confined space entry.  The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs was previously cited for a violation of this occupational safety and health standard or its equivalent standard 1910.146(c)(8)(i), which was contained in OSHA inspection number 1151514, citation number 1, item number 1-a and was affirmed as a final order on July 26, 2016, with respect to a workplace located at Aleda E. Lutz VA Medical Center, 1500 Weiss St., Saginaw, MI 48602.