OSHA Inspection: NIPRO RENAL SOLUTIONS USA

Issued

Jul 27, 2021

Abate by

Sep 30, 2021

Penalty

Initial $3,121 · Current $2,125 Reduced

General-duty citation text

29 CFR  1910.22(a)(3): The employer did not ensure that walking-working surfaces were maintained free of hazards such as sharp or protruding objects, loose boards, corrosion, leaks, spills, snow, and ice:  (a) Build Area - The metal stairs and catwalks that provided access to the tops of Tanks 1 through 5, as well as the metal rods coming down from the ceiling to support the suspended portions of the catwalks, had become corroded (rusted), exposing employees who used the stairs and catwalks to the hazard of falling up to 14 feet 2 inches to a lower level, on or about April 14, 2021.  Abatement certification required within 10 days after abatement date. The certification shall include a statement that abatement is complete, date and method of abatement, and state employees and their representatives were informed of this abatement.

Issued

Jul 27, 2021

Abate by

Sep 30, 2021

Penalty

Initial $0 · Current $0

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1910.22(d)(1): The employer did not ensure that walking-working surfaces were inspected, regularly and as necessary, and maintained in a safe condition:  (a) Build Area - The metal stairs and catwalks that provided access to the tops of Tanks 1 through 5 did not receive regular inspections, exposing employees who used the stairs and catwalks to the hazard of falling up to 14 feet 2 inches to a lower level, on or about April 14, 2021.  Abatement certification required within 10 days after abatement date. The certification shall include a statement that abatement is complete, date and method of abatement, and state employees and their representatives were informed of this abatement.

Issued

Jul 27, 2021

Abate by

Sep 30, 2021

Penalty

Initial $3,121 · Current $2,125 Reduced

General-duty citation text

29 CFR  1910.28(b)(1)(i): Except as provided elsewhere in this section, the employer did not ensure that each employee on a walking-working surface with an unprotected side or edge that was 4 feet (1.2 m) or more above a lower level was protected from falling by one or more of the following: (A) Guardrail systems; (B) Safety net systems; or (C) Personal fall protection systems, such as personal fall arrest, travel restraint, or positioning systems:  (a) Build Area - An employee does maintenance work on the top of Tank 6 with no fall protection, exposing the employee to the hazard of falling 10 feet to a lower level, on or about April 1, 2021.  (b) Build Area - Metal catwalks provided access to the tops of Tanks 1 through 5.  The tank end of each catwalk consisted of metal framing with no grating to allow an employee to check the tank during each production run and to allow maintenance to access equipment at the top of the tank.  This end of each catwalk had no fall protection system, exposing employees to the hazard of falling through the catwalks' open framing up to 14 feet 2 inches to a lower level, on or about April 1, 2021.  Abatement certification required within 10 days after abatement date. The certification shall include a statement that abatement is complete, date and method of abatement, and state employees and their representatives were informed of this abatement.

Issued

Jul 27, 2021

Abate by

Sep 30, 2021

Penalty

Initial $3,121 · Current $2,125 Reduced

General-duty citation text

29 CFR  1910.29(b)(1): The employer did not ensure that  guardrail systems top edge height of top rails, or equivalent guardrail system members, were 42 inches (107 cm), plus or minus 3 inches (8 cm), above the walking-working surface. The top edge height may exceed 45 inches (114 cm), provided the guardrail system meets all other criteria of paragraph (b) of this section (see Figure D-11 of this section):  (a) Build Area - For a horizontal length of 69 inches along the tank pit, the guardrail system directly in front of Tank 6 had a top rail height of 17 inches, exposing employees to the hazard of falling 8 feet 9 inches to a lower level, on or about April 14, 2021.  Abatement certification required within 10 days after abatement date. The certification shall include a statement that abatement is complete, date and method of abatement, and state employees and their representatives were informed of this abatement.

Issued

Jul 27, 2021

Abate by

Sep 30, 2021

Penalty

Initial $2,340 · Current $1,500 Reduced

General-duty citation text

29 CFR  1910.37(a)(4): Safeguards designed to protect employees during an emergency (e.g., sprinkler systems, alarm systems, fire doors, exit lighting), were not in proper working order at all times:  (a) Cafeteria - The cafeteria had a set of double doors marked "Emergency Exit Only" and with a lit Exit sign above them.  The employer installed screws under the vertically oriented slide latch located on the top of the right side door, which prevented release of this slide latch, and also prevented opening either door, exposing employees to fire hazards, on or about April 14, 2021.  Abatement certification required within 10 days after abatement date. The certification shall include a statement that abatement is complete, date and method of abatement, and state employees and their representatives were informed of this abatement.

Issued

Jul 27, 2021

Abate by

Sep 30, 2021

Penalty

Initial $0 · Current $0

General-duty citation text

29 CFR  1910.157(e)(3): The employer did not ensure that portable fire extinguishers were subjected to an annual maintenance check:  (a) Nipro Renal Solutions USA, 509 Fishing Creek Road, Lewisberry, Pennsylvania - Portable fire extinguishers had not received an annual maintenance check, exposing employees to fire hazards, on or about April 14, 2021.  Abatement certification required within 10 days after abatement date. The certification shall include a statement that abatement is complete, date and method of abatement, and state employees and their representatives were informed of this abatement.

Issued

Jul 27, 2021

Abate by

Sep 30, 2021

Penalty

Initial $0 · Current $0

General-duty citation text

29 CFR  1910.157(g)(2): The educational program to familiarize employees with the general principles of fire extinguisher use and the hazards involved with incipient stage fire-fighting was not provided to all employees upon initial employment, and at least annually thereafter:  (a) Nipro Renal Solutions USA, 509 Fishing Creek Road, Lewisberry, Pennsylvania - The employer provided portable fire extinguishers; however, the employer had not provided initial and annual education to employees on fire extinguisher use and the hazards of incipient stage fire-fighting, exposing employees to fire hazards, on or about April 14, 2021.  Abatement certification required within 10 days after abatement date. The certification shall include a statement that abatement is complete, date and method of abatement, and state employees and their representatives were informed of this abatement.

Issued

Jul 27, 2021

Abate by

Sep 30, 2021

Penalty

Initial $2,340 · Current $1,500 Reduced

General-duty citation text

29 CFR  1910.134(c)(2)(ii): The employer did not establish and implement those elements of a written program necessary to ensure that any employee using a respirator voluntarily was medically able to use that respirator, and that the respirator was cleaned, stored, and maintained so that its use does not present a health hazard to the user:  (a) Nipro Renal Solutions USA, 509 Fishing Creek Road, Lewisberry, Pennsylvania - The employer permitted an employee to voluntarily wear a 3M 6300 elastomeric half-mask air-purifying respirator with multi gas/vapor cartridge/filters.  The employer did not develop and implement any written respiratory protection program, exposing the employee to hazards of inhalation, ingestion, or absorption of contaminants and increased physiological burden, on or about April 14, 2021.  Abatement certification required within 10 days after abatement date. The certification shall include a statement that abatement is complete, date and method of abatement, and state employees and their representatives were informed of this abatement.

Issued

Jul 27, 2021

Abate by

Sep 30, 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:  (a) Nipro Renal Solutions USA, 509 Fishing Creek Road, Lewisberry, Pennsylvania - The employer permitted an employee to voluntarily wear a 3M 6300 elastomeric half-mask air-purifying respirator with multi gas/vapor cartridge/filters.  The employer did not provide the employee with a medical evaluation to determine the employee's ability to use the respirator, exposing the employee to an increased physiological burden, on or about April 14, 2021.  Abatement certification required within 10 days after abatement date. The certification shall include a statement that abatement is complete, date and method of abatement, and state employees and their representatives were informed of this abatement.

Issued

Jul 27, 2021

Abate by

Sep 30, 2021

Penalty

Initial $0 · Current $0

General-duty citation text

29 CFR  1910.134(h)(1)(i): Respirators issued for the exclusive use of an employee were not cleaned and disinfected as often as necessary to be maintained in a sanitary condition:  (a) Nipro Renal Solutions USA, 509 Fishing Creek Road, Lewisberry, Pennsylvania - The employer permitted an employee to voluntarily wear a 3M 6300 elastomeric half-mask air-purifying respirator with multi gas/vapor cartridge/filters.  The respirator mask, including the part that contacted the employee's face needed cleaning, exposing the employee to hazards of ingestion or absorption of contaminants, on or about April 14, 2021.  Abatement certification required within 10 days after abatement date. The certification shall include a statement that abatement is complete, date and method of abatement, and state employees and their representatives were informed of this abatement.

Issued

Jul 27, 2021

Abate by

Sep 30, 2021

Penalty

Initial $3,901 · Current $3,250 Reduced

General-duty citation text

29 CFR  1910.146(c)(2): 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) Build Area - The employer did not post danger signs or use other methods to inform employees of the location and dangers posed by the dissolution tanks, which classify as permit spaces, exposing employees to permit-required confined space hazards such as atmospheric and mechanical hazards, on or about February 25, 2021.  Abatement certification required within 10 days after abatement date. The certification shall include a statement that abatement is complete, date and method of abatement, and state employees and their representatives were informed of this abatement.

Issued

Jul 27, 2021

Abate by

Sep 30, 2021

Penalty

Initial $0 · Current $0

General-duty citation text

29 CFR  1910.146(d)(2): Under the permit-required confined space program required by 29 CFR 1910.146(c)(4), the employer did not identify and evaluate the hazards of permit spaces before employees entered:   (a) Build Area - An employee entered Dissolution Tank 2, which classifies as a permit-required confined space, to do a Level II sanitization, without an evaluation of the tank's oxygen level because the employer did not have the Industrial Scientific M40 gas monitor calibrated, on or about February 25, 2021.  Abatement certification required within 10 days after abatement date. The certification shall include a statement that abatement is complete, date and method of abatement, and state employees and their representatives were informed of this abatement.

Issued

Jul 27, 2021

Abate by

Sep 30, 2021

Penalty

Initial $0 · Current $0

General-duty citation text

29 CFR  1910.146(d)(9): Under the permit space program, the employer did not develop and implement procedures for summoning rescue and emergency services, for rescuing entrants from permit spaces, for providing necessary emergency services to rescued employees, and for preventing unauthorized personnel from attempting a rescue:   (a) Build Area - An employee entered Dissolution Tank 2, which classifies as a permit-required confined space, to do a Level II sanitization, and the employer did not develop and implement any rescue provisions including procedures for summoning rescue and emergency services, for rescuing the employee from the tank (including no provisions for non-entry rescue), for providing necessary emergency services to a rescued employee, and for preventing unauthorized personnel from attempting a rescue, on or about February 25, 2021.  Abatement certification required within 10 days after abatement date. The certification shall include a statement that abatement is complete, date and method of abatement, and state employees and their representatives were informed of this abatement.

Issued

Jul 27, 2021

Abate by

Sep 30, 2021

Penalty

Initial $0 · Current $0

General-duty citation text

29 CFR  1910.146(f)(11): The entry permit that documented compliance and authorized entry to a permit space did not identify the rescue and emergency services to be summoned and the means for summoning those services:   (a) Build Area - An employee entered Dissolution Tank 2, which classifies as a permit-required confined space, to do a Level II sanitization, and the "Dissolution/Confined Space Tank Entry Permit" did not identify rescue and emergency services to summon and the means for summoning these services, on or about February 25, 2021.  Abatement certification required within 10 days after abatement date. The certification shall include a statement that abatement is complete, date and method of abatement, and state employees and their representatives were informed of this abatement.

Issued

Jul 27, 2021

Abate by

Sep 30, 2021

Penalty

Initial $3,121 · Current $2,125 Reduced

General-duty citation text

29 CFR  1910.147(c)(4)(i): Procedures were not developed, documented and utilized for the control of potentially hazardous energy when employees were engaged in activities covered by this section:  (a) Nipro Renal Solutions USA, 509 Fishing Creek Road, Lewisberry, Pennsylvania - Employees performed servicing and maintenance activities on a variety of machinery and equipment including the dissolution tanks, the case packer, and the box taping machine, and the employer did not develop, document, and implement machine-specific lockout/tagout procedures, exposing employees to hazards, such as getting caught-in and struck-by moving machine parts, on or about April 14, 2021.  Abatement certification required within 10 days after abatement date. The certification shall include a statement that abatement is complete, date and method of abatement, and state employees and their representatives were informed of this abatement.

Issued

Jul 27, 2021

Abate by

Sep 30, 2021

Penalty

Initial $0 · Current $0

General-duty citation text

29 CFR  1910.147(c)(5)(i): Locks, tags, chains, wedges, key blocks, adapter pins, self-locking fasteners, or other hardware were not provided by the employer for isolating, securing or blocking of machines or equipment from energy sources:  (a) Nipro Renal Solutions USA, 509 Fishing Creek Road, Lewisberry, Pennsylvania - The employer did not provide enough lockout locks to authorized employees due to having some locks in use for long term lockout/tagout and some locks with missing keys, exposing employees to hazards, such as getting caught-in and struck-by moving machine parts, on or about April 14, 2021.  Abatement certification required within 10 days after abatement date. The certification shall include a statement that abatement is complete, date and method of abatement, and state employees and their representatives were informed of this abatement.

Issued

Jul 27, 2021

Abate by

Sep 30, 2021

Penalty

Initial $0 · Current $0

General-duty citation text

29 CFR  1910.147(c)(6)(i): The employer did not conduct a periodic inspection of the energy control procedure at least annually to ensure that the procedure and the requirement of this standard were being followed:   (a) Nipro Renal Solutions USA, 509 Fishing Creek Road, Lewisberry, Pennsylvania - Employees performed servicing and maintenance activities on a variety of machinery and equipment including the dissolution tanks, the case packer, and the box taping machine, and the employer did not conduct a periodic inspection of lockout/tagout procedures, on or about April 14, 2021.  Abatement certification required within 10 days after abatement date. The certification shall include a statement that abatement is complete, date and method of abatement, and state employees and their representatives were informed of this abatement.

Issued

Jul 27, 2021

Abate by

Sep 30, 2021

Penalty

Initial $3,901 · Current $3,250 Reduced

General-duty citation text

29 CFR  1910.1048(d)(1)(i): Each employer who had a workplace covered by this standard did not monitor employees to determine their exposure to formaldehyde:  (a) RO Water System - An employee used a bucket to add five gallons of formaldehyde to a cleaning tank to disinfect and clean the reverse osmosis (RO) water system.  The employer has not done workplace monitoring to determine the employee's exposure to formaldehyde, on or about February 1, 2021.  Abatement certification required within 10 days after abatement date. The certification shall include a statement that abatement is complete, date and method of abatement, and states employees and their representatives were informed of this abatement.

Issued

Jul 27, 2021

Abate by

Sep 30, 2021

Penalty

Initial $0 · Current $0

General-duty citation text

29 CFR  1910.1048(i)(2): When employees' skin could have become splashed with solutions containing 1 percent or greater formaldehyde, the employer did not provide conveniently located quick drench showers and/or did not ensure that affected employees used these facilities immediately:  (a) RO Water System - An employee used a bucket to pour five gallons of formaldehyde (which contained 30 percent to 50 percent formaldehyde) into a cleaning tank to disinfect and clean the reverse osmosis (RO) water system, exposing the employee to the potential of getting splashed with the formaldehyde.  The employer did not provide a quick drench shower within the work area for immediate use, on or about February 1, 2021.  Abatement certification required within 10 days after abatement date. The certification shall include a statement that abatement is complete, date and method of abatement, and states employees and their representatives were informed of this abatement.

Issued

Jul 27, 2021

Abate by

Sep 30, 2021

Penalty

Initial $0 · Current $0

General-duty citation text

29 CFR  1910.1048(i)(3): When there was a possibility that an employee's eyes could be splashed with solutions containing 0.1 percent or greater formaldehyde, the employer did not provide acceptable eyewash facilities within the immediate work area for emergency use:   (a) RO Water System - An employee used a bucket to pour formaldehyde (which contained 30 percent to 50 percent formaldehyde) into a cleaning tank to disinfect and clean the reverse osmosis (RO) water system, exposing the employee to the potential of getting splashed with the formaldehyde.  The employer did not provide eyewash facilities within the immediate work area for emergency use, on or about February 1, 2021.  Abatement certification required within 10 days after abatement date. The certification shall include a statement that abatement is complete, date and method of abatement, and states employees and their representatives were informed of this abatement.

Issued

Jul 27, 2021

Abate by

Sep 30, 2021

Penalty

Initial $0 · Current $0

General-duty citation text

29 CFR  1910.134(k)(6): The employer did not provide the basic advisory information on respirators, as presented in Appendix D of 29 CFR 1910.134, in written or oral format to employees who wear respirators when such use was not required by the employer:   (a) Nipro Renal Solutions USA, 509 Fishing Creek Road, Lewisberry, Pennsylvania - The employer permitted an employee to voluntarily wear a 3M 6300 elastomeric half-mask air-purifying respirator with multi gas/vapor cartridge/filters.  The employer did not provide the basic advisory information on respirators, as presented in Appendix D of 29 CFR 1910.134, in written or oral format to the employee, exposing the employee to hazards of inhalation, ingestion, or absorption of contaminants and increased physiological burden, on or about April 14, 2021.  Abatement certification required within 10 days after abatement date. The certification shall include a statement that abatement is complete, date and method of abatement, and state employees and their representatives were informed of this abatement.

Issued

Jul 27, 2021

Abate by

Sep 30, 2021

Penalty

Initial $0 · Current $0

General-duty citation text

29 CFR  1910.304(g)(5):The path to ground from circuits, equipment, and enclosures was not permanent, continuous, and effective:  (a) Build Area - Equipment did not have a continuous and effective path to ground in that the conduit, which carried wiring going into the top of the on/off switch for the motor on top of Tank 6, had come loose from the on/off switch box, exposing employees to the hazard of injurious contact with electrical current, on or about April 14, 2021  Abatement certification required within 10 days after abatement date. The certification shall include a statement that abatement is complete, date and method of abatement, and states employees and their representatives were informed of this abatement.

Issued

Jul 27, 2021

Abate by

Sep 30, 2021

Penalty

Initial $0 · Current $0

General-duty citation text

29 CFR  1910.178(l)(4)(iii): An evaluation of each powered industrial truck operator's performance was not being conducted at least once every three years:  (a) Nipro Renal Solutions USA, 509 Fishing Creek Road, Lewisberry, Pennsylvania - The employer did not conduct an evaluation of each powered industrial truck operator at least once every three years, on or about April 14, 2021.  Abatement certification required within 10 days after abatement date. The certification shall include a statement that abatement is complete, date and method of abatement, and state employees and their representatives were informed of this abatement.