OSHA Inspection: MARATHON INDUSTRIAL FINISHING LLC

Issued

Feb 11, 2022

Abate by

Mar 14, 2022

Penalty

Initial $24,861 · Current $2,647 Reduced

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1910.178(q)(1):  Any power-operated industrial truck not in safe operating condition shall be removed from service. All repairs shall be made by authorized personnel:  At a facility located at 497 Maratech Avenue, Marathon, WI 54448; the CAT (M# VC400, S# 5HB01787) propane forklift was not removed from service when the powered industrial vehicle's braking system was not in safe operating condition. Employees operating the forklift, and employees working in the areas of forklift operation, were exposed to struck-by and caught-between hazards caused from the forklift brakes not being in a safe operating condition.

Issued

Feb 11, 2022

Abate by

Mar 23, 2022

Penalty

Initial $2,486 · Current $2,000 Reduced

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. The employer may discontinue an employee's medical evaluations when the employee is no longer required to use a respirator.   At a facility located at 497 Maratech Avenue, Marathon City, WI 54448; the employer did not provide a medical evaluation to determine if Blaster employees were able to use supplied-air abrasive blasting helmet respirators.

Issued

Feb 11, 2022

Abate by

Mar 14, 2022

Penalty

Initial $0 · Current $0

Hazardous substances 0560

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1910.134(i)(7):  For oil-lubricated compressors, the employer shall use a high-temperature or carbon monoxide alarm, or both, to monitor carbon monoxide levels. If only high-temperature alarms are used, the air supply shall be monitored at intervals sufficient to prevent carbon monoxide in the breathing air from exceeding 10 ppm:   At a facility located at 497 Maratech Avenue, Marathon City, WI 54448; the carbon monoxide gas monitor equipment (RPB Gas Monitor) was not connected or functioning during use of the compressor supplied breathing air to the Blaster employee's abrasive blasting helmet respirator.

Issued

Feb 11, 2022

Abate by

Mar 14, 2022

Penalty

Initial $0 · Current $0

Hazardous substances 1591

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1910.134(h)(1)(i):  Respirators issued for the exclusive use of an employee shall be cleaned and disinfected as often as necessary to be maintained in a sanitary condition:   At a facility located at 497 Maratech Avenue, Marathon City, WI 54448; RBP Nova 3 abrasive blasting helmet respirators were not cleaned as necessary to maintain them in a sanitary condition. Wipe samples collected from the inside faceshields of the respirators contained lead dust.

Issued

Feb 11, 2022

Abate by

Mar 14, 2022

Penalty

Initial $0 · Current $0

Hazardous substances 1591

General-duty citation text

29 CFR  1910.134(h)(2)(i):  All respirators shall be stored to protect them from damage, contamination, dust, sunlight, extreme temperatures, excessive moisture, and damaging chemicals, and they shall be packed or stored to prevent deformation of the facepiece and exhalation valve.    At a facility located at 497 Maratech Avenue, Marathon City, WI 54448; RBP Nova 3 abrasive blasting helmet respirators were not stored to protect them from contamination and dust. Helmets were stored on hooks in the open air of the facility. Wipe samples collected from the inside faceshields of the respirators contained lead dust.

Issued

Feb 11, 2022

Abate by

Mar 23, 2022

Penalty

Initial $4,351 · Current $2,000 Reduced

Hazardous substances 1591

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1910.1025(d)(2):  Initial determination. Each employer who has a workplace or work operation covered by this standard shall determine if any employee may be exposed to lead at or above the action level:  At a facility located at 497 Maratech Avenue, Marathon City, WI 54448; the employer did not determine if any employee may be exposed to lead at or above the action level when employees were exposed to lead dust from paint coating(s) containing lead, which were removed from I-beams through abrasive blasting:  a)  A Blaster employee was exposed to lead dust when they:  1) used steel shot to abrasively remove lead paint coatings on I-beams; 2) reclaimed spent shot and lead dust through sweeping, shoveling and then reused the spent shot in abrasive blasting; 3) disposed of spent shot and lead dust; 4) cleaned the abrasive blast booth of lead dust; and 5) used the abrasive blast booth, abrasive blast booth ventilation system, and abrasive blasting pots/reclaim system after lead had been present without decontamination of the equipment or systems.  b)  Material Handling employees were exposed to lead dust when they:  1) worked in the areas around the abrasive blast booth; 2) reclaimed spent shot and lead dust through sweeping and shoveling; and 3) disposed of spent shot and lead dust.

Issued

Feb 11, 2022

Abate by

Mar 23, 2022

Penalty

Initial $0 · Current $0

Hazardous substances 1591

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1910.1025(d)(3)(i):  The employer shall monitor employee exposures and shall base initial determinations on the employee exposure monitoring results:   At a facility located at 497 Maratech Avenue, Marathon City, WI 54448; the employer did not monitor employee exposures when employees were exposed to lead dust from paint coating(s) containing lead, which were removed from I-beams through abrasive blasting:  a)  A Blaster employee was exposed to lead dust when they:  1) used steel shot to abrasively remove lead paint coatings on I-beams; 2) reclaimed spent shot and lead dust through sweeping, shoveling and then reused the spent shot in abrasive blasting; 3) disposed of spent shot and lead dust; 4) cleaned the abrasive blast booth of lead dust; and 5) used the abrasive blast booth, abrasive blast booth ventilation system, and abrasive blasting pots/reclaim system after lead had been present without decontamination of the equipment or systems.  b)  Material Handling employees were exposed to lead dust when they:  1) worked in the areas around the abrasive blast booth; 2) reclaimed spent shot and lead dust through sweeping and shoveling; and 3) disposed of spent shot and lead dust.

Issued

Feb 11, 2022

Abate by

Mar 23, 2022

Penalty

Initial $4,351 · Current $0 Reduced

Hazardous substances 1591

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1910.1025(h)(1):  All surfaces shall be maintained as free as practicable of accumulations of lead:   At a facility located at 497 Maratech Avenue, Marathon City, WI 54448; the employer did not maintain all surfaces as free as practicable from accumulations of lead. The employer did not conduct housekeeping or decontamination of surfaces where lead dust accumulations were found:  a)  The workbench surface, located immediately adjacent to the man-door on the abrasive blast booth, contained lead accumulations of approximately 2880 �g/ft^2.  b)  The top surface of the compressor housing, located below the return-air plenum of the abrasive blast booth's ventilation system, contained lead accumulations of approximately 5823 �g/ft^2.

Issued

Feb 11, 2022

Abate by

Mar 23, 2022

Penalty

Initial $4,351 · Current $0 Reduced

Hazardous substances 1591

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1910.1025(h)(2)(ii):  Shoveling, dry or wet sweeping, and brushing may be used only where vacuuming or other equally effective methods have been tried and found not to be effective:   At a facility located at 497 Maratech Avenue, Marathon City, WI 54448; the employer directed employees to dry sweep and shovel spent shot and lead dust from the floor of the abrasive blast booth after lead coatings on I-beams had been removed through abrasive blasting. The employer did not attempt vacuuming or other equally effective methods for collecting the spent shot and lead dust.

Issued

Feb 11, 2022

Abate by

Mar 23, 2022

Penalty

Initial $4,351 · Current $0 Reduced

Hazardous substances 1591

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1910.1025(l)(1)(i):  Each employer who has a workplace in which there is a potential exposure to airborne lead at any level shall inform employees of the content of Appendices A and B of this regulation:   At a facility located at 497 Maratech Avenue, Marathon City, WI 54448; the employer did not inform employees of the contents of Appendices A and B or this regulation when employee were exposed to lead dust from lead paint coating(s), which were removed from I-beams through abrasive blasting, dry swept and shoveled from the floor of the abrasive blast booth and contaminated surfaces outside of the abrasive blast booth.

Issued

Feb 11, 2022

Abate by

Mar 23, 2022

Penalty

Initial $0 · Current $0

Hazardous substances 1591

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1910.1025(l)(1)(v):  The employer shall assure that each employee is informed of the topics contained in 29 CFR 1910.1025(l)(1)(v)[A] through [G]:   At a facility located at 497 Maratech Avenue, Marathon City, WI 54448; the employer did not assure that, a Blaster employee exposed to lead dust during abrasive blasting of I-beams containing lead coatings and Material Handling and Material Handling Leader employees exposed to lead dust during sweeping and shoveling of spent shot and lead dust, were informed of the topics contained in 29 CFR 1910.1025(l)(1)(v)[A] through [G].  All provision of 29 CFR 1910.1025(l)(1)(v)[A] through [G] shall be included in a lead training program. Key elements include, but are not limited to the following:  1)  Contents of the general industry lead standard and its appendices 2)  Specific operations which could result in exposures to lead above the action level 3)  Purpose, selection, fitting, use and limitations of respirators 4)  Engineering and work practice controls 5)  Instructions and precautions of using chelating agents strictly under the direction of a licensed physician

Issued

Feb 11, 2022

Abate by

Mar 14, 2022

Penalty

Initial $0 · Current $0

Hazardous substances 0560

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1910.134(i)(5)(iv):  The employer shall ensure that compressors used to supply breathing air to respirators are constructed and situated so as to have a tag containing the most recent change date and the signature of the person authorized by the employer to perform the change of suitable in-line air-purifying sorbent beds and filters. The tag shall be maintained at the compressor:  At a facility located at 497 Maratech Avenue, Marathon City, WI 54448; the tag on the breathing air filter (RPB Air Filter) connected to the compressor, which provided breathing air to the Abrasive Blasting employee's abrasive blasting helmet respirator,  was not signed by the person authorized by the employer to perform the change.