OSHA Inspection: PGA INCORPORATED

Issued

Feb 23, 2022

Abate by

Apr 11, 2022

Penalty

Initial $4,558 · Current $3,500 Reduced

Hazardous substances 8111

General-duty citation text

29 CFR  1910.95(g)(1): The employer did not establish and maintain an audiometric testing program as provided by 29 CFR 1910.95(g) by making audiometric testing available to all employees whose exposures equal or exceed an 8-hour time-weighted average of 85 decibels:  a) Kathleen Grinder Area: An employee was exposed to continuous noise at 68.3% of the exposure level of 90 dBA or an 8-hour time-weighted average of 87.2 dBA. This exposure was observed over a 251 minute sampling period. Zero exposure was assumed for the 229 minutes not sampled. The employer did not establish and maintain an audiometric testing program for those employees exposed over the action level of 85 dBA, on or about January 14, 2022.  ABATEMENT CERTIFICATION REQUIRED

Issued

Feb 23, 2022

Abate by

Apr 11, 2022

Penalty

Initial $0 · Current $0

Hazardous substances 8111

General-duty citation text

29 CFR  1910.95(k)(1): The employer did not train each employee who is exposed to noise at or above an 8-hour time-weighted average of 85 decibels in accordance with the requirements of 29 CFR 1910.95(k):  a) Kathleen Grinder Area: An employee was exposed to continuous noise at 68.3% of the exposure level of 90 dBA or an 8-hour time-weighted average of 87.2 dBA. This exposure was observed over a 251 minute sampling period. Zero exposure was assumed for the 229 minutes not sampled. The employer did not provide noise training program to those employees exposed over the action level of 85 dBA, on or about January 14, 2022.  ABATEMENT CERTIFICATION REQUIRED

Issued

Feb 23, 2022

Abate by

Apr 4, 2022

Penalty

Initial $3,646 · Current $3,000 Reduced

Hazardous substances E200M102

General-duty citation text

29 CFR  1910.307(c): Equipment, wiring methods, and installations of equipment in hazardous (classified) locations were not intrinsically safe, approved for the hazardous (classified) location, or safe for the hazardous (classified) location:  a) Penelope Grinder Area:  Electrical equipment, including, but not limited to, outlets, light switches, motors, florescent and incandescent light fixtures, electrical disconnects, and a control panel, was covered in accumulations of combustible plastic dust.  This electrical equipment was located in a Class II, Division II location and was not intrinsically safe, approved for use in a Class II, Division II location, or safe for use in a Class II, Division II location, on or about September 2, 2021.  ABATEMENT CERTIFICATION RECQUIRED

Issued

Feb 23, 2022

Abate by

Mar 21, 2022

Penalty

Initial $5,470 · Current $4,500 Reduced

Hazardous substances 0560

General-duty citation text

29 CFR  1910.1000(a)(2): Employee(s) were exposed to an airborne concentration of carbon monoxide (CO) listed in Table Z-1 in excess of the 8-hour time weighted average concentration of  50 parts per million:   a) PGA Incorporated, New Grinder Area: An employee was exposed to carbon monoxide at an 8-hour time weighted average of 56 parts per million, approximately 1.1 times the Permissible Exposure Limit of 50 parts per million.  Sampling was performed for 461 minutes on January 27, 2022.  Zero exposure was assumed for the 19 minutes not sampled.    b) PGA Incorporated, Forklift: An employee was exposed to carbon monoxide at an 8-hour time weighted average of 58 parts per million, approximately 1.2 times the Permissible Exposure Limit of 50 parts per million.  Sampling was performed for 322 minutes on January 27, 2022.  Zero exposure was assumed for the 158 minutes not sampled.    ABATEMENT CERTIFICATION AND DOCUMENTATION REQUIRED

Issued

Feb 23, 2022

Abate by

Mar 21, 2022

Penalty

Initial $0 · Current $0

Hazardous substances 0560

General-duty citation text

29 CFR  1910.1000(e): Feasible administrative or engineering controls were not determined and implemented to achieve compliance with the limits prescribed in 29 CFR 1910.1000(a) through (d):   a) PGA Incorporated, New Grinder Area: An employee was exposed to carbon monoxide at an 8-hour time weighted average of 56 parts per million, approximately 1.1 times the Permissible Exposure Limit of 50 parts per million.  Sampling was performed for 461 minutes on January 27, 2022.  Zero exposure was assumed for the 19 minutes not sampled.  The employer did not implement feasible administrative and/or engineering controls to reduce employee exposure levels to below the Permissible Exposure Limit for carbon monoxide.  b) PGA Incorporated, Forklift: An employee was exposed to carbon monoxide at an 8-hour time weighted average of 58 parts per million, approximately 1.2 times the Permissible Exposure Limit of 50 parts per million.  Sampling was performed for 322 minutes on January 27, 2022.  Zero exposure was assumed for the 158 minutes not sampled.  The employer did not implement feasible administrative and/or engineering controls to reduce employee exposure levels to below the Permissible Exposure Limit for carbon monoxide.  ABATEMENT CERTIFICATION AND DOCUMENTATION REQUIRED   GENERAL METHODS OF CONTROL APPLICABLE IN THESE CIRCUMSTANCES INCLUDE, BUT ARE NOT LIMITED TO, THE FOLLOWING:  - Remove the Nissan 30 Optimum forklift from service.  Do not place the forklift back into service until it has been appropriately repaired and its exhaust system is no longer discharging high levels of carbon monoxide into the work environment.    - Train forklift operators to not let their forklifts idle when not in use.  - Ventilate the work area with fresh outdoor air.

Issued

Feb 23, 2022

Abate by

Apr 4, 2022

Penalty

Initial $3,646 · Current $3,000 Reduced

Hazardous substances E200

General-duty citation text

29 CFR  1910.1200(e)(1):  The employer did not develop and implement at the workplace a written hazard communication program which describes how the criteria specified in 29 CFR 1910.1200(f), (g), and (h) will be met:  a) PGA Incorporated:  Employees worked with hazardous chemicals, including, but not limited to, polyethylene terephthalate 1 (PET-1), and the employer did not develop and implement a written hazard communication program, on or about September 2, 2021.  ABATEMENT CERTIFICATION REQUIRED

Issued

Feb 23, 2022

Abate by

Apr 4, 2022

Penalty

Initial $0 · Current $0

Hazardous substances E200

General-duty citation text

29 CFR  1910.1200(f)(4)(i):  For solid metal, solid wood, or plastic items that are not exempted as articles due to their downstream use, or shipments of whole grain, the required label was not transmitted to the customer at the time of the initial shipment:   a) PGA Incorporated:  The employer manufactured and sold hazardous chemicals, including, but not limited to, polyethylene terephthalate 1 (PET-1), and the employer did not appropriately label containers of hazardous chemicals that were shipped to customers, on or about September 2, 2021.  ABATEMENT CERTIFICATION REQUIRED   ABATEMENT NOTE:  Labels on shipped containers shall comply with 1910.1200(f)(1).

Issued

Feb 23, 2022

Abate by

Apr 4, 2022

Penalty

Initial $0 · Current $0

Hazardous substances E200

General-duty citation text

29 CFR  1910.1200(f)(6)(ii):  Except as provided in 1910.1200(f)(7) and 1910.1200(f)(8), the employer did not ensure that each container of hazardous chemicals in the workplace was labeled, tagged or marked with the product identifier and words, pictures, symbols, or combination thereof, which provide at least general information regarding the hazards of the chemicals and which, in conjunction with the other information immediately available to employees under the hazard communication program, would provide employees with the specific information regarding the physical and health hazards of the hazardous chemical:  a) PGA Incorporated:  Employees worked with hazardous chemicals, including, but not limited to, polyethylene terephthalate 1 (PET-1), and the employer did not ensure that these chemicals were appropriately labeled, on or about September 2, 2021.  ABATEMENT CERTIFICATION REQUIRED   ABATEMENT NOTE:  Per 1910.1200(f)(7), it is permissible for the employer to use signs, placards, process sheets, batch tickets, operating procedures, or other such written materials in lieu of affixing labels to individual stationary process containers, as long as the alternative method identifies the containers to which it is applicable and conveys the information required by paragraph (f)(6) of this section to be on a label.

Issued

Feb 23, 2022

Abate by

Apr 4, 2022

Penalty

Initial $0 · Current $0

Hazardous substances E200

General-duty citation text

29 CFR  1910.1200(g)(1):  Chemical manufacturers and importers did not obtain or develop a safety data sheet for each hazardous chemical and for each chemical that posed a hazard not otherwise classified that they produced or imported:  a) PGA Incorporated:  The employer manufactured hazardous chemicals, including, but not limited to, polyethylene terephthalate 1 (PET-1), and the employer did not develop a safety data sheet for each hazardous chemical that they produced, on or about September 2, 2021.  ABATEMENT CERTIFICATION REQUIRED

Issued

Feb 23, 2022

Abate by

Apr 4, 2022

Penalty

Initial $0 · Current $0

Hazardous substances E200

General-duty citation text

29 CFR  1910.1200(g)(8): The employer did not maintain in the workplace copies of the required safety data sheets for each hazardous chemical:  a) PGA Incorporated:  Employees worked with hazardous chemicals, including, but not limited to, polyethylene terephthalate 1 (PET-1), and the employer did not maintain the safety data sheet (SDS) for each hazardous chemical used in the workplace, on or about September 2, 2021.  ABATEMENT CERTIFICATION REQUIRED

Issued

Feb 23, 2022

Abate by

Apr 4, 2022

Penalty

Initial $0 · Current $0

Hazardous substances E200

General-duty citation text

29 CFR  1910.1200(h)(1): Employees were not provided effective information and training on hazardous chemicals in their work area at the time of their initial assignment and whenever a new hazard that the employees had not been previously trained about was introduced into their work area:  a) PGA Incorporated:  Employees worked with hazardous chemicals, including, but not limited to, polyethylene terephthalate 1 (PET-1), and the employer did not provide these employees with effective hazard communication training, on or about September 2, 2021.  ABATEMENT CERTIFICATION REQUIRED

Issued

Feb 23, 2022

Abate by

Apr 4, 2022

Penalty

Initial $54,694 · Current $46,000 Reduced

Hazardous substances E200M102

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1910.22(a)(1): All places of employment, passageways, storerooms, service rooms, and walking-working surfaces are kept in a clean, orderly, and sanitary condition:  a) Penelope Grinder Area:  The area where plastic grinding was performed had hazardous accumulations of combustible plastic dust located on the walls, floor, ceiling and roof structures, boxes of product, dust collection equipment, and electrical installations, on or about September 2, 2021.  ABATEMENT CERTIFICATION AND DOCUMENTATION RECQUIRED

Issued

Feb 23, 2022

Abate by

Apr 4, 2022

Penalty

Initial $0 · Current $0

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1910.132(d)(2): The employer did not verify that the required workplace hazard assessment has been performed through a written certification that identifies the workplace evaluated, the person certifying that the evaluation has been performed, the date(s) of the hazard assessment, and, which identifies the document as a certification of hazard assessment:  a) PGA Incorporated: Employees performed job tasks that necessitated the use of personal protective equipment, and the employer did not verify that the required workplace hazard assessment had been performed through a written certification, on or about September 2, 2021.  ABATEMENT CERTIFICATION REQUIRED