OSHA Inspection: NATURE SOY, LLC

Issued

Dec 14, 2021

Abate by

Mar 1, 2022

Penalty

Initial $4,096 · Current $2,500 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:  (a) Nature Soy, LLC, dba Keystone Natural Holdings, at 6123 Arapahoe Road, Boulder, CO: On and preceding 6/29/2021, 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.  Three employees were provided 3M half mask air purifying respirators to wear while performing maintenance tasks.  The employees were not provided medical evaluations.  This condition exposed the employees to a respiratory hazard.

Issued

Dec 14, 2021

Abate by

Mar 1, 2022

Penalty

Initial $0 · Current $0

General-duty citation text

29 CFR  1910.134(k): The employer did not provide comprehensive, understandable training annually and/or more often if necessary:  (a) Nature Soy, LLC, dba Keystone Natural Holdings, at 6123 Arapahoe Road, Boulder, CO: On and preceding 6/29/2021, the employer did not provide annual comprehensive respirator training.  Three employees were provided 3M half mask air purifying respirators to wear while performing maintenance tasks.  The employees were not provided respirator training.  This condition exposed the employees to a respiratory hazard.

Issued

Dec 14, 2021

Abate by

Mar 1, 2022

Penalty

Initial $4,096 · Current $2,500 Reduced

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):  (a)  Nature Soy, LLC, dba Keystone Natural Holdings, at 6123 Arapahoe Road, Boulder, CO: On and preceding 7/12/2021, the employer did not determine the 8-hour time-weighted average exposure for each employee exposed to chromium (VI).  An employee welded stainless steel during maintenance activities.  Hexavalent chromium is formed during welding of stainless steel.   This condition exposed the employee to a hexavalent chromium hazard.

Issued

Dec 14, 2021

Penalty

Initial $0 · Current $0

General-duty citation text

29 CFR  1910.1026(l)(1)(iii):  The employer had not included chromium (VI) in the hazard communication program, established to comply with the Hazard Communication Standard, 29 CFR 1910.1200, ensured that each employee had access to labels on containers of chromium (VI) and to safety data sheets, and was trained in accordance with the requirements of the Hazard Communication Standard and 29 CFR 1910.1026(l)(2), including the contents of the Hexavalent Chromium Standard, the purpose and a description of the medical surveillance program, and made copies of this standard available to all affected employees:   (a)  Nature Soy, LLC, dba Keystone Natural Holdings, at 6123 Arapahoe Road, Boulder, CO: On and preceding 7/12/2021, the employer had not included chromium (VI) in the hazard communication program nor trained employees on the contents of the Hexavalent Chromium Standard.  An employee welded stainless steel during maintenance activities.  Hexavalent chromium is formed during welding of stainless steel.   This condition exposed the employee to a hexavalent chromium hazard.

Issued

Dec 14, 2021

Abate by

Mar 1, 2022

Penalty

Initial $767 · Current $0 Reduced

General-duty citation text

29 CFR  1910.95(c)(1): The employer did not administer a continuing, effective hearing conservation program as described in 29 CFR 1910.95(c) through (o) whenever employee noise exposures equal or exceed an 8-hour time-weighted average sound level of 85 decibels measured on the A scale, or equivalently a dose of fifty percent:  (a) Nature Soy, LLC, dba Keystone Natural Holdings, at 6123 Arapahoe Road, Boulder, CO: On and preceding 7/13/2021, the employer did not administer a continuing effective hearing conservation program when employee noise exposure exceeded the fifty percent noise dose Action Level.  On 7/13/2021, noise monitoring of employees found four production workers in the Tofu, Seitan and Tempeh, and Multi-2 work areas to be exposed to noise whose exposures ranged from 113.5 percent dose to 170.1 percent dose.  The employer had not implemented a noise monitoring program, had not provided employees noise related training, had not provided annual audiograms, and had not evaluated audiograms to determine the presence of standard threshold shifts.  The employer did not have an effective hearing conservation program.  This condition potentially exposed employees to a noise hazard.