OSHA Inspection: QUALITY WELDING SERVICE, INC.

Issued

Sep 1, 2021

Abate by

Oct 12, 2021

Penalty

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

General-duty citation text

29 CFR  1910.134(c)(1):  In any workplace where respirators are necessary to protect the health of the employee or whenever respirators are required by the employer, the employer shall establish and implement a written respiratory protection program with worksite-specific procedures. The program shall be updated as necessary to reflect those changes in workplace conditions that affect respirator use. The employer shall include in the program the following provisions of this section, as applicable:  At a facility located at 1788 Wildwood Drive, Suamico, WI 54173; the employer did not establish and implement a written respiratory protection program when respirators were necessary to protect the health of employees from hazardous chemicals such as, but not limited to respirable silica in the abrasive blasting process and chemical vapors and gases in painting processes.  All provisions of 29 CFR 1910.134(c) through (m) shall be contained in a written respiratory protection program. Key elements include, but are not limited to the following:  1)  Respirator selection 2)  Medical evaluations 3)  Fit testing 4)  Training on maintenance, use and care of respirators 5)  Breathing air quality (for supplied air respirators) 6)  Program evaluation 7)  Recordkeeping

Issued

Sep 1, 2021

Abate by

Oct 12, 2021

Penalty

Initial $0 · Current $0

General-duty citation text

29 CFR  1910.134(c)(2)(ii):  The employer must establish and implement those elements of a written respiratory protection program necessary to ensure that any employee using a respirator voluntarily is medically able to use that respirator, and that the respirator is cleaned, stored, and maintained so that its use does not present a health hazard to the user. Exception: Employers are not required to include in a written respiratory protection program those employees whose only use of respirators involves the voluntary use of filtering facepieces (dust masks).   At a facility located at 1788 Wildwood Drive, Suamico, WI 54173; the employer did not establish and implement a written respiratory protection program when tight-fitting half-face elastomeric respirators were provided for voluntary use by employees conducting welding operations.  Appropriate provisions of 29 CFR 1910.134(c) through (m) shall be contained in a written respiratory protection program. Key elements for a voluntary respiratory use program include, but are not limited to the following:  1)  Medical evaluations 2)  Training on maintenance, use and care of respirators 3)  Program evaluation 4)  Recordkeeping

Issued

Sep 1, 2021

Abate by

Oct 12, 2021

Penalty

Initial $0 · Current $0

General-duty citation text

29 CFR  1910.134(e)(1):  The employer shall provide a medical evaluation to determine the employee's ability to use a respirator, before the employee is fit tested or required to use the respirator in the workplace:   At a facility located at 1788 Wildwood Drive, Suamico, WI 54173; the employer did not provide medical evaluations to determine employees' abilities to use respirators:  a)  Employees using air supplied blasting helmets, full-face tight-fitting respirators and half-face tight-fitting respirators necessary to protect from hazardous chemicals were not provided with medical evaluations prior to being required to wear the respirators.  b)  Employees using half-face tight-fitting elastomeric respirators for voluntary use during welding operations were not provided with medical evaluations before being allowed to use the respirators.

Issued

Sep 1, 2021

Abate by

Oct 12, 2021

Penalty

Initial $0 · Current $0

General-duty citation text

29 CFR  1910.134(f)(1):  The employer shall ensure that employees using a tight-fitting facepiece respirator pass an appropriate qualitative fit test (QLFT) or quantitative fit test (QNFT) as stated in this paragraph:   At a facility located at 1788 Wildwood Drive, Suamico, WI 54173; the employer did not ensure that employees required to wear tight-fitting full-face and half-face respirators during painting operations had passed a QLFT or QNFT.

Issued

Sep 1, 2021

Abate by

Oct 12, 2021

Penalty

Initial $0 · Current $0

General-duty citation text

29 CFR  1910.134(i)(5)(iv): The employer shall ensure that compressors used to supply breathing air to respirators had a tag containing the most recent in-line air-purifying sorbent beds and filters change date and the signature of the person authorized by the employer to perform the change. The tag shall be maintained at the compressor:   At a facility located at 1788 Wildwood Drive, Suamico, WI 54173; when employees used supplied air from the Sullair compressor (M# 250 DPQ JD, S# 004-126670) for the Clemco Apollo 600 Blast helmet during sandblasting activities, the employer did not ensure that a tag containing the most recent change date and signature of the person authorized by the employer to perform the change of the sorbent bed and filters of the compressor was maintained at the compressor.

Issued

Sep 1, 2021

Abate by

Oct 12, 2021

Penalty

Initial $0 · Current $0

General-duty citation text

29 CFR  1910.134(k): Training and information. This paragraph requires the employer to provide effective training to employees who are required to use respirators. The training must be comprehensive, understandable, and recur annually, and more often if necessary. This paragraph also requires the employer to provide the basic information on respirators in Appendix D of this section to employees who wear respirators when not required by this section or by the employer to do so.   At a facility located at 1788 Wildwood Drive, Suamico, WI 54173; the employer did not establish and implement a written respiratory protection program when respirators were necessary to protect the health of employees from hazardous chemicals such as, but not limited to respirable silica in the abrasive blasting process and chemical vapors and gases in painting processes.  All provisions of 29 CFR 1910.134(k)(1) through (k)(6) shall be provided to employees wearing respirators. Key elements include, but are not limited to the following:  1)  Reason for respirators use 2)  Respirator limitations and capabilities 3)  Effective respirator inspection and use 4)  Procedures for maintenance, care and storage of respirators 5)  Recognition of signs/symptoms that may limit respirator use

Issued

Sep 1, 2021

Abate by

Oct 12, 2021

Penalty

Initial $0 · Current $0

General-duty citation text

29 CFR  1910.134(k)(6):  The basic advisory information on respirators, as presented in Appendix D of this section, shall be provided by the employer in any written or oral format, to employees who wear respirators when such use is not required by this section or by the employer.   At a facility located at 1788 Wildwood Drive, Suamico, WI 54173; the employer did not provide the basic advisory information on respirators, as presented in Appendix D of this section, to employees who wore filtering-face (dust mask) respirators for voluntary use.

Issued

Sep 1, 2021

Abate by

Nov 12, 2021

Penalty

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

General-duty citation text

29 CFR  1910.1053(d)(1):  The employer shall assess the exposure of each employee who is or may reasonably be expected to be exposed to respirable crystalline silica at or above the action level in accordance with either the performance option in paragraph (d)(2) or the scheduled monitoring option in paragraph (d)(3) of this section:  At a facility located at 1788 Wildwood Drive, Suamico, WI 54173; the employer did not assess a Sandblaster employee's exposure to respirable crystalline silica when the employee was conducting abrasive blasting of metal parts with silica media.

Issued

Sep 1, 2021

Abate by

Oct 12, 2021

Penalty

Initial $0 · Current $0

General-duty citation text

29 CFR  1910.1053(e)(1):  The employer shall establish a regulated area wherever an employee's exposure to airborne concentrations of respirable crystalline silica is, or can reasonably be expected to be, in excess of the PEL:  At a facility located at 1788 Wildwood Drive, Suamico, WI 54173; the employer did not establish a regulated area in the sandblasting bay where airborne concentrations of respirable crystalline silica exceeded the PEL.

Issued

Sep 1, 2021

Abate by

Nov 12, 2021

Penalty

Initial $0 · Current $0

General-duty citation text

29 CFR  1910.1053(i)(1)(i):  The employer shall make medical surveillance available at no cost to the employee, and at a reasonable time and place, for each employee who will be occupationally exposed to respirable crystalline silica at or above the action level for 30 or more days per year:   At a facility located at 1788 Wildwood Drive, Suamico, WI 54173; the employer did not make a medical surveillance available at no cost to a Sandblast employee conducting abrasive blasting where airborne concentrations of respirable crystalline silica exceeded the PEL.

Issued

Sep 1, 2021

Abate by

Oct 12, 2021

Penalty

Initial $0 · Current $0

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1910.1053(j)(1):  The employer shall include respirable crystalline silica in the program established to comply with the hazard communication standard (HCS) (29 CFR 1910.1200). The employer shall ensure that each employee has access to labels on containers of crystalline silica and safety data sheets, and is trained in accordance with the provisions of HCS and paragraph (j)(3) of this section. The employer shall ensure that at least the following hazards are addressed: Cancer, lung effects, immune system effects, and kidney effects:   At a facility located at 1788 Wildwood Drive, Suamico, WI 54173; the employer did not include respirable crystalline silica in a hazard communication program. The employer did not ensure that each employee's training addressed the training requirements of this section, the training elements of a hazard communication program or the specific hazards of cancer, lung effects, immune system effect and kidney effects associated with exposure to respirable crystalline silica in the work place.

Issued

Sep 1, 2021

Abate by

Oct 12, 2021

Penalty

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

General-duty citation text

29 CFR  1910.1200(e)(1):  Employers shall develop, implement, and maintain at each workplace, a written hazard communication program which at least describes how the criteria specified in paragraphs (f), (g), and (h) of this section for labels and other forms of warning, safety data sheets, and employee information and training will be met, and which also includes the following:   At a facility located at 1788 Wildwood Drive, Suamico, WI 54173; the employer did not develop or implement a written hazard communication program when Welder/Fabricator and Sandblasting employees worked with hazardous chemicals in the workplace such as, but not limited to welding wire, metal fumes, solvents, paints and abrasive blast media containing silica.  All provisions of 29 CFR 1910.1200(e) through (h) must be contained in a written hazard communication program. Key elements include, but are not limited to the following:  1)  Complete collection of SDS 2)  List of all hazardous chemicals 3)  Container labeling 4)  Employee information and training

Issued

Sep 1, 2021

Abate by

Oct 12, 2021

Penalty

Initial $0 · Current $0

General-duty citation text

29 CFR  1910.1200(g)(1):  Employers shall have a safety data sheet in the workplace for each hazardous chemical which they use:   At a facility located at 1788 Wildwood Drive, Suamico, WI 54173; the employer did not have safety data sheets in the workplace for each hazardous chemical employees worked with hazardous chemicals in the workplace such as, but not limited to welding wire, metal fumes, solvents, paints and abrasive blast media containing silica.

Issued

Sep 1, 2021

Abate by

Oct 12, 2021

Penalty

Initial $0 · Current $0

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1910.1200(h)(1):  Employers shall provide employees with effective information and training on hazardous chemicals in their work area at the time of their initial assignment, and whenever a new chemical hazard the employees have not previously been trained about is introduced into their work area. Information and training may be designed to cover categories of hazards (e.g., flammability, carcinogenicity) or specific chemicals. Chemical-specific information must always be available through labels and safety data sheets:   At a facility located at 1788 Wildwood Drive, Suamico, WI 54173; the employer did not provide employees with effective information and training on hazardous chemicals in their work area such as, but not limited to welding wire, metal fumes, solvents, paints and abrasive blast media containing silica.  All provisions of 29 CFR 1910.1200(h)(1) through (h)(3) must be provided to employees as part of hazard communication information and training. Key provisions include, but are not limited to the following:  1)  Details and requirements of the Hazard Communication standard 2)  Location and availability of SDS, chemical list and written program 3)  Operations where hazardous chemicals are present 4)  Physical, health and other hazardous of chemicals in the work area 5)  Mean of protection from chemical hazards 6)  Explanation of labels, labeling systems and SDS

Issued

Sep 1, 2021

Abate by

Oct 12, 2021

Penalty

Initial $0 · Current $0

General-duty citation text

29 CFR  1910.1026(l)(1)(ii):  In classifying the hazards of chromium (VI) at least the following hazards are to be addressed: Cancer, eye irritation, and skin sensitization:  At a facility located at 1788 Wildwood Drive, Suamico, WI 54173; the employer did not provide information and training to employees to ensure that employees conducting welding on stainless steel could demonstrate knowledge of health hazards of chromium (VI) including the topics of cancer, eye irritation and skin sensitization.

Issued

Sep 1, 2021

Penalty

Initial $0 · Current $0

General-duty citation text

29 CFR  1910.1026(d)(2)(i):  The employer shall perform initial monitoring to determine the 8-hour TWA exposure for each employee on the basis of a sufficient number of personal breathing zone air samples to accurately characterize full shift exposure on each shift, for each job classification, in each work area. Where an employer does representative sampling instead of sampling all employees in order to meet this requirement, the employer shall sample the employee(s) expected to have the highest chromium (VI) exposures:  At a facility located at 1788 Wildwood Drive, Suamico, WI 54173; the employer did not perform initial monitoring to determine the 8-hour TWA exposure to chromium (VI) for welder employees who conducted welding on stainless steel work pieces.

Issued

Sep 1, 2021

Abate by

Oct 12, 2021

Penalty

Initial $0 · Current $0

General-duty citation text

29 CFR  1910.1026(l)(2)(i):  The employer shall ensure that each employee can demonstrate knowledge of: [A] the contents of this section; and [B] the purpose and a description of the medical surveillance program required by this section:  At a facility located at 1788 Wildwood Drive, Suamico, WI 54173; the employer did not provide information and training to employees to ensure that employees conducting welding on stainless steel could demonstrate knowledge of the contents of the chromium (VI) standard and the purpose of the medical surveillance program required by this section.