OSHA Inspection: PROTEIN FOR PETS OPCO, LLC

Issued

Nov 5, 2021

Abate by

Jun 30, 2022

Penalty

Initial $7,022 · Current $5,000 Reduced

General-duty citation text

Section 5(a)(1) of the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970:  The employer did not furnish employment and a place of employment which were free from recognized hazards that caused or were likely to cause death or serious physical harm in that employees were exposed to an inhalation hazard from an oxygen deficient atmosphere:  (a)  Protein for Pets Opco, LLC, dba All American Pet Proteins, at 259 30th Street, Greeley, CO:  On and preceding 9/3/2021, the employer did not furnish employment and a place of employment which were free from recognized hazards that caused or were likely to cause death or serious physical harm in that employees were exposed to an inhalation hazard from an oxygen deficient atmosphere.  A liquid nitrogen system was utilized to freeze dry meat in the blenders of production lines 1, 3, 5, and 7.  The liquid nitrogen, upon contact with ambient air, would boil and expand as a gas within the blenders displacing other gases such as oxygen.  Employees performed operations with the blenders, including but not limited to assurance of function whereby a hatch of each blender would be raised to examine the process within.  Employees were exposed to an oxygen deficient atmosphere when opening a hatch to examine the process, and where nitrogen gas escaped a blender and entered the adjacent work area.

Issued

Nov 5, 2021

Abate by

Mar 30, 2022

Penalty

Initial $5,266 · Current $5,000 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) Protein for Pets Opco, LLC, dba All American Pet Proteins, at 259 30th Street, Greeley, CO:  On and preceding 9/3/2021, 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 25 inch x 25 inch floor drain cover on production line 7 was damaged.  The corners of the cover were upturned, leaving an approximate gap of 2 inches projecting upward.  This condition exposed employees to a tripping hazard.  (b)  Protein for Pets Opco, LLC, dba All American Pet Proteins, at 259 30th Street, Greeley, CO:  On and preceding 9/3/2021, 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 25 inch x 25 inch floor drain cover on production line 6 was damaged.  The corners of the cover were upturned, leaving an approximate gap of 1.5 inches projecting upward.  This condition exposed employees to a tripping hazard.  (c) Protein for Pets Opco, LLC, dba All American Pet Proteins, at 259 30th Street, Greeley, CO:  On and preceding 9/3/2021, 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.  An approximate gap of 4 inches x 4.5 inches existed between the floor drain grate and the 25 inch x 25 inch floor drain cover on production line 7.  This condition exposed employees to a step-into-hole hazard.  (d)  Protein for Pets Opco, LLC, dba All American Pet Proteins, at 259 30th Street, Greeley, CO:  On and preceding 9/3/2021, 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.  An approximate gap of 4 inches x 2.5 inches existed between the floor drain grate and the 25 inch x 25 inch floor drain cover on production line 6.  This condition exposed employees to a step-into-hole hazard.

Issued

Nov 5, 2021

Abate by

Mar 30, 2022

Penalty

Initial $0 · Current $5,000

General-duty citation text

29 CFR  1910.119(d)(3)(ii): The employer did not document that equipment complies with recognized and generally accepted good engineering practices:  (a) Protein for Pets Opco, LLC, dba All American Pet Proteins, at 259 30th Street, Greeley, CO:  On and preceding 9/3/2021, the employer did not document that equipment complies with recognized and generally accepted good engineering practices.  Employees operated and maintained an ammonia refrigeration system.  The refrigeration system contained approximately 12,700 pounds of ammonia.  Ammonia is in the liquid phase during a portion of the refrigeration cycle.  The engine room contained an emergency eyewash, but did not contain an emergency shower.  This condition exposed employees to a corrosive liquid hazard.  (b)  Protein for Pets Opco, LLC, dba All American Pet Proteins, at 259 30th Street, Greeley, CO:  On and preceding 9/3/2021, the employer did not document that equipment complies with recognized and generally accepted good engineering practices.  Employees operated and maintained an ammonia refrigeration system.  The refrigeration system contained approximately 12,700 pounds of ammonia.  Ammonia is in the liquid phase during a portion of the refrigeration cycle.  The emergency eyewash and shower outside the engine room were blocked by PVC piping.  This condition exposed employees to a corrosive liquid hazard.  (c) Protein for Pets Opco, LLC, dba All American Pet Proteins, at 259 30th Street, Greeley, CO:  On and preceding 9/3/2021, the employer did not document that equipment complies with recognized and generally accepted good engineering practices.  Employees operated and maintained an ammonia refrigeration system.  The refrigeration system contained approximately 12,700 pounds of ammonia.  Markers or tags identifying valves for the rooftop evaporator valve group, identified as EV-2, were missing.  This condition exposed employees to an ammonia hazard.

Issued

Nov 5, 2021

Abate by

Jun 30, 2022

Penalty

Initial $7,022 · Current $5,000 Reduced

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1910.119(e)(3)(i):  The hazards of the process;  (a)  Protein for Pets Opco, LLC, dba All American Pet Proteins, at 259 30th Street, Greeley, CO:  On and preceding 9/3/2021, the Process Hazard Analysis did not address engineering and administrative controls applicable to the hazards and their interrelationships such as appropriate application of detection methodologies to provide early warning of releases.  Employees operated and maintained an ammonia refrigeration system.  The refrigeration system contained approximately 12,700 pounds of ammonia.  Stainless steel hoses with Teflon liners were used on the vertical plate freezers.  An inadequate defrost cycle prior to ejection of blocks of frozen meat would not remove all ice from the hoses holding ammonia. The ice would then reduce the pliability of the hoses during product processing cycles, which may reduce the lifespan of the hoses, resulting in the release of ammonia. The Process Hazard Analysis did not address administrative or engineering controls to address the defrost cycle of the plate freezers, the degradation of the hoses, or detection of the failures. Hoses in this process have failed, and were required to be replaced, at the facility.  This condition exposed employees to an ammonia hazard.

Issued

Nov 5, 2021

Abate by

Mar 30, 2022

Penalty

Initial $7,022 · Current $5,000 Reduced

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1910.119(g)(2):  Refresher training was not provided at least every three years, and more often if necessary, to each employee involved in operating a process to assure that the employee understood and adhered to the current operating procedures of the process:  (a)  Protein for Pets Opco, LLC, dba All American Pet Proteins, at 259 30th Street, Greeley, CO:  On and preceding 9/3/2021, the employer did not ensure that refresher training was provided at least every three years, and more often if necessary, to each employee involved in operating a process to assure that the employee understood and adhered to the current operating procedures of the process.  Employees operated and maintained an ammonia refrigeration system.  The refrigeration system contained approximately 12,700 pounds of ammonia.  The employer did not ensure that all employees involved in the operation of the refrigeration system received refresher training at least every three years.  This condition exposed employees to an ammonia hazard.

Issued

Nov 5, 2021

Abate by

Jun 30, 2022

Penalty

Initial $7,022 · Current $0 Reduced

General-duty citation text

29 CFR  1910.119(j)(2): The employer did not establish written procedures to maintain the on-going integrity of process equipment:  (a)  Protein for Pets Opco, LLC, dba All American Pet Proteins, at 259 30th Street, Greeley, CO:  On and preceding 9/3/2021, the employer did not establish written procedures to maintain the on-going integrity of process equipment.  Employees operated and maintained an ammonia refrigeration system.  The refrigeration system contained approximately 12,700 pounds of ammonia.  The employer's mechanical integrity procedures did not contain specific employer procedural steps or instructions to assure the mechanical integrity of process equipment, including but not limited to insulated and non-insulated piping and vessels.  This condition exposed employees to an ammonia hazard.

Issued

Nov 5, 2021

Abate by

Mar 30, 2022

Penalty

Initial $7,022 · Current $5,000 Reduced

General-duty citation text

29 CFR  1910.119(l)(1): The employer did not implement procedures to manage changes to process chemicals, technology, equipment, and procedures, and changes to facilities that affect a covered process:  (a)  Protein for Pets Opco, LLC, dba All American Pet Proteins, at 259 30th Street, Greeley, CO:  On and preceding 9/3/2021, the employer did not implement procedures to manage changes to equipment that affect a covered process.  Employees operated and maintained an ammonia refrigeration system.  The refrigeration system contained approximately 12,700 pounds of ammonia.  A Hansen Technologies model HVK5D/7 three inch gas powered suction stop valve replaced an existing valve in the rooftop evaporator valve group, identified as valve HV-12 within evaporator group EV-2.  The employer's process safety information indicated that control valves were to be Danfoss valves.  Management of change was not utilized during the replacement of the original valve to ensure that the Hansen Technologies valve was a compatible valve.  This condition exposed employees to an ammonia hazard.

Issued

Nov 5, 2021

Abate by

Jun 30, 2022

Penalty

Initial $0 · Current $0

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1910.119(l)(4):  A change covered by 29 CFR 1910.119(l) resulted in a change in the process safety information required by 29 CFR 1910.119(d) and the process information was not updated:  (a)  Protein for Pets Opco, LLC, dba All American Pet Proteins, at 259 30th Street, Greeley, CO:  On and preceding 9/3/2021, a change covered by 29 CFR 1910.119(l) resulted in a change in the process safety information required by 29 CFR 1910.119(d) and the process information was not updated.  Employees operated and maintained an ammonia refrigeration system.  The refrigeration system contained approximately 12,700 pounds of ammonia.  A Hansen Technologies model HVK5D/7 three inch gas powered suction stop valve replaced an existing valve in the rooftop evaporator valve group, identified as valve HV-12 within evaporator group EV-2.  The employer's process safety information indicated that control valves were to be Danfoss valves.  The process safety information was not updated with the replacement valve's information.  This condition exposed employees to an ammonia hazard.

Issued

Nov 5, 2021

Penalty

Initial $0 · Current $3,500

General-duty citation text

29 CFR  1910.134(f)(2): Employee(s) using a tight-fitting facepiece respirator were not annually fit tested:  (a)  Protein for Pets Opco, LLC, dba All American Pet Proteins, at 259 30th Street, Greeley, CO:  On and preceding 8/1/2021, the employer did not ensure that employees using tight-fitting facepiece respirators were annually fit tested.  Employees performed maintenance of an ammonia refrigeration system.  Employees were required to wear Drager model X-plore 5500 full face air purifying respirators with AM/MA-P100 cartridges when performing repairs such as replacing plate freezer hoses or when draining oil from the oil pot.  This condition exposed employees to an ammonia hazard.