OSHA Inspection: PROMEIN STEEL, LLC

Issued

May 7, 2021

Abate by

Jun 24, 2021

Penalty

Initial $2,926 · Current $2,048 Reduced

General-duty citation text

29 CFR  1910.134(c)(1):A written respiratory protection program that included the provisions in 29 CFR 1910.134(c)(1)(i) - (ix) with worksite specific procedures was not established and implemented for required respirator use:  Welding Area  On or about, and at times prior to February 11, 2021, employees who perform welding operations are required to wear elastomeric half-face respirators for the entirety of their 8hr shift. The employer provides the respirators and their filter attachments without having a respiratory protection program in place. Hazards employees are commonly exposed to can vary depending on what they are contracted to work on, some of the metal exposures while welding can include multiple metal particulates comprising copper, nickel, and chromium.

Issued

May 7, 2021

Abate by

Jun 24, 2021

Penalty

Initial $0 · Current $0

General-duty citation text

29 CFR  1910.134(d)(1)(iii): The employer did not identify and evaluate the respiratory hazard(s) in the workplace; including a reasonable estimate of employee exposures to respiratory hazards and identification of the contaminant's chemical state and physical form:  Welding Area  On or about, and at times prior to February 11, 2021, the employer did not make a determination of the specific hazards employees are exposed to when choosing the respirators and filter attachments that employees are required to wear and use. Employees are exposed to welding fumes during their routine task of welding and cutting.

Issued

May 7, 2021

Abate by

Jun 24, 2021

Penalty

Initial $0 · Current $0

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:  Facility-Wide:  On or about, and at times prior to February 11, 2021, the employer did not ensure that employees performing welding and cutting tasks were medically evaluated for their fitness to wear the required respirators.   Note:  The employer may discontinue an employee's medical evaluations when the employee is no longer required to use a respirator.

Issued

May 7, 2021

Abate by

Jun 24, 2021

Penalty

Initial $0 · Current $0

General-duty citation text

29 CFR  1910.134(f)(2):Employee(s) using tight-fitting facepiece respirators were not fit tested prior to initial use of the respirator:  Facility-wide:  On or about, and at times prior to, February 11, 2021 the employer did not ensure employees, who are required to wear respirators, received qualitative or quantitative initial fit-testing in order to determine proper size.

Issued

May 7, 2021

Abate by

Jun 24, 2021

Penalty

Initial $0 · Current $0

General-duty citation text

29 CFR  1910.134(h)(1):Respirators were not cleaned and disinfected using the procedures in Appendix B-2 of 29 CFR 1910.134 or equivalent procedures recommended by the respirator manufacturer:  Facility-wide:  On or about, and at times prior to February 11, 2021, respirators assigned to the employees were not maintained to prevent them from becoming contaminated.

Issued

May 7, 2021

Penalty

Initial $2,341 · Current $1,639 Reduced

General-duty citation text

29 CFR  1910.252(a)(1)(i):When the object to be welded or cut could not be readily moved, all movable fire hazards in the vicinity were not taken to a safe place:  Welding Area  On or about, and prior to February 11, 2021, flammable material was observed to be within 35 feet of the welding operation. Combustible material observed within a few feet around the point of operation included a solvent can, water bottles, a pale of paint, a wooden staircase with an exposed cardboard box placed under it, and another cardboard box near the welding screen.

Issued

May 7, 2021

Abate by

Jun 24, 2021

Penalty

Initial $0 · Current $0

General-duty citation text

29 CFR  1910.252(b)(2)(i)(B):Goggles or other suitable eye protection were not used during all gas welding or oxygen cutting operations:  Welding area:  On or about, and  at times after February 11, 2021, employees were observed not wearing goggles or other suitable eye protection under their welding helmet.

Issued

May 7, 2021

Abate by

Jun 24, 2021

Penalty

Initial $2,341 · Current $1,639 Reduced

General-duty citation text

29 CFR  1910.1200(e)(1):The employer did not develop, implement, and/or maintain at the workplace a written hazard communication program which describes how the criteria specified in 29 CFR 1910.1200(f), (g), and (h) will be met:  Facility-wide  On or about, and at times prior to February 11, 2021, the employer did not develop a plan that addressed the hazards with respect to solvents and metals that employees are frequently exposed to. Hazards identified at the time of the inspection included steel for welding and solvents of paint, paint thinner, aerosols, and cleaner. The steel and solvent materials present were identified as carcinogenic, flammable liquids, non-flammable liquids, and skin and eye irritants.

Issued

May 7, 2021

Abate by

Jun 24, 2021

Penalty

Initial $0 · Current $0

General-duty citation text

29 CFR  1910.1200(f)(10): The employer did not ensure that workplace labels or other forms of warnings were prominently displayed on the container or readily available in the work area throughout each work shift  Paint Area  On or about, and at times prior to February 11, 2021, the employer stored paint and aerosol  cans that were not clearly labeled.

Issued

May 7, 2021

Abate by

Jun 24, 2021

Penalty

Initial $0 · Current $0

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:  Facility-wide  On or about, and at times prior to February 11, 2021, the employer did not provide any indication that hazard communication training was provided for employees. Additionally, the employer could not confirm that training was provided for one of the employees that did not speak English in the language they could understand.

Issued

May 7, 2021

Penalty

Initial $0 · Current $0

General-duty citation text

29 CFR  1910.1026(d)(1):The employer with a workplace or work operation covered by this standard did not determine the 8-hour time-weighted average exposure for each employee exposed to chromium (VI):  Welding Area  On or about, and at times prior to February 11, 2021, the employer did not make an exposure determination  in accordance with either paragraph (d)(2), the scheduled monitoring option, or paragraph (d)(3), the performance-oriented option for employees who weld on metals that comprise chromium and have the tendency to oxidize into hexavalent chromium when heated. The employer noted that carbon steel and stainless steel are among the steel that is commonly welded and cut by the workers.