OSHA Inspection: RECYCLING COORDINATORS INC.

Issued

May 18, 2021

Penalty

Initial $9,557 · Current $5,734 Reduced

General-duty citation text

29 CFR  1910.134(e)(1):The employer did not provide a medical evaluation to determine the employee's ability to use a respirator, before the employee was fit tested or required to use the respirator in the workplace:  On or about February 1, 2021, where employees are required to wear half mask air purifying respirators while performing tasks including shredding batteries and blending recycled materials, the employer did not first provide employees with a medical evaluation.

Issued

May 18, 2021

Abate by

Jun 7, 2021

Penalty

Initial $0 · Current $0

General-duty citation text

29 CFR  1910.134(f)(1):The employer did not ensure that employee(s) required to use a tight-fitting facepiece respirator passed the appropriate qualitative fit test (QLFT) or quantitative fit test (QNFT):  On or about February 1, 2021, where employees are required to wear half mask air purifying respirators while performing tasks including shredding batteries and blending recycled materials, the employer did not provide employees with a fit test.

Issued

May 18, 2021

Abate by

Jun 7, 2021

Penalty

Initial $0 · Current $0

General-duty citation text

29 CFR  1910.134(k)(3):Training was not provided prior to requiring employees to use a respirator in the workplace:  On or about February 1, 2021, where employees are required to wear half mask air purifying respirators while performing tasks including shredding batteries and blending recycled materials, the employer did not ensure that employees first received respiratory protection training.

Issued

May 18, 2021

Abate by

Jun 7, 2021

Penalty

Initial $0 · Current $0

General-duty citation text

29 CFR  1910.134(k)(5):Respiratory protection retraining was not conducted annually:  On or about February 1, 2021, where employees are required to wear half mask air purifying respirators while performing tasks including shredding batteries and blending recycled materials, the employer did not ensure that employees received respiratory protection training (voluntary use) on an annual basis.

Issued

May 18, 2021

Abate by

Jun 7, 2021

Penalty

Initial $6,827 · Current $3,414 Reduced

General-duty citation text

29 CFR  1910.151(c):Where employees were exposed to injurious corrosive materials, suitable facilities for quick drenching or flushing of the eyes and body were not provided within the work area for immediate emergency use:  On or about February 1, 2021, where employees could be exposed corrosive materials when performing job tasks including but not limited to adding water to forklift batteries or recycling batteries, the employer did not provide immediate access facilities for quick drenching or flushing of the eyes in that the path to the company's eyewash/shower station was blocked by materials such as pallets, buckets, and drums. Additionally, use of this equipment would require those filling batteries to pull open a door and enter the battery shredding area to gain access.

Issued

May 18, 2021

Abate by

Dec 17, 2021

Penalty

Initial $9,557 · Current $6,861 Reduced

Hazardous substances 0720

General-duty citation text

29 CFR  1910.1000(a)(2):Employee(s) were exposed to an airborne concentration of cobalt listed in Table Z-1 in excess of the 8 hour Time Weighted Average concentration of  0.1 milligrams per cubic meter (mg/m3)  On March 25, 2021, an employee operating the shredder was exposed to an 8-hour time weighted average (TWA) of 0.112 milligrams per cubic meter (mg/m3) for cobalt, approximately 1.12 times the Permissible Exposure Limit (PEL) of 0.1 mg/m3. The exposure level was derived from a sample collected over a 450 minute sampling period with zero exposure assumed for the unsampled period of 30 minutes.

Issued

May 18, 2021

Abate by

Dec 17, 2021

Penalty

Initial $0 · Current $0

Hazardous substances 0720

General-duty citation text

29 CFR  1910.1000(e):Feasible administrative or engineering controls were not determined and implemented to achieve compliance with the limits prescribed in 29 CFR 1910.1000(a) through (d):  On March 25, 2021, an employee operating the shredder was exposed to an 8-hour time weighted average (TWA) of 0.112 milligrams per cubic meter (mg/m3) for cobalt, approximately 1.12 times the Permissible Exposure Limit (PEL) of 0.1 mg/m3. The exposure level was derived from a sample collected over a 450 minute sampling period with zero exposure assumed for the unsampled period of 30 minutes. Engineering controls did not reduce exposures below the OSHA Permissible Exposure Limit.

Issued

May 18, 2021

Penalty

Initial $3,481 · Current $3,481

General-duty citation text

29 CFR  1910.1200(f)(6)(ii): Except as provided in 29 CFR 1910.1200(f)(7) and 29 CFR 1910.1200(f)(8), the employer did not ensure that each container of hazardous chemicals in the workplace was labeled, tagged or marked with the product identifier and words, pictures, symbols, or combination thereof, which provide at least general information regarding the hazards of the chemicals and which, in conjunction with the other information immediately available to employees under the hazard communication program, would provide employees with the specific information regarding the physical and health hazards of the hazardous chemical:  On or about February 1, 2021, a compressed gas cylinder containing carbon dioxide that was located in the battery shred room was not labeled.

Issued

May 18, 2021

Abate by

Jun 7, 2021

Penalty

Initial $9,557 · Current $0 Reduced

General-duty citation text

29 CFR  1910.1200(h)(1):Employees were not provided effective information and training on hazardous chemicals in their work area at the time of their initial assignment and whenever a new hazard that the employees had not been previously trained about was introduced into their work area:  On or about February 21, 2021, the employer did not ensure that employees working with or around chemicals including, but not limited to cobalt, chromium, and molybdenum received hazard communication training.