OSHA Inspection: FREEPORT PRESS, INC.

Issued

Jan 13, 2022

Abate by

Feb 9, 2022

Penalty

Initial $10,533 · Current $10,533

General-duty citation text

OSH ACT of 1970 Section (5)(a)(1):The employer did not furnish employment and a place of employment which were free from recognized hazards that were causing or likely to cause death or serious physical harm to employees  a. On or about September 10, 2021 and at times prior, located at the Kolbus machine, employees operated an Ingersoll Rand Lifting and Balancing Unit  (Model #BW050080S, Serial #KTB059)  in order to move 200 pound bundles of paper with the use of a fabricated below-the-hook lifting device. The employer failed to conduct periodic inspections on the lifting device and associated equipment. The lifting device did not have an identification plate or any other means to indicate the lifting device's lifting capacity, thereby exposing the employees to a struck-by and/or caught-between hazard  b.  On or about September 10, 2021 and at times prior, located at the Pacesetter #1 machine, employees operated an Ingersoll Rand Lifting and Balancing Unit  (Model #BW050080S, Serial #KTB109)  in order to move 200 pound bundles of paper with the use of a fabricated below-the-hook lifting device. The employer failed to conduct periodic inspections on the lifting device and associated equipment. The lifting device did not have an identification plate or any other means to indicate the lifting device's lifting capacity, thereby exposing the employees to a struck-by hazard  c.  On or about September 10, 2021 and at times prior, located at the Pacesetter #2 machine, employees operated an  Ingersoll Rand Lifting and Balancing Unit  (Model #BW050080S, Serial #KTB112)   in order to move 200 pound bundles of paper with the use of a fabricated below-the-hook lifting device. The employer failed to conduct periodic inspections on the lifting device and associated equipment. The lifting device did not have an identification plate or any other means to indicate the lifting device's lifting capacity, thereby exposing the employees to a struck-by hazard

Issued

Jan 13, 2022

Abate by

Feb 9, 2022

Penalty

Initial $12,288 · Current $12,288

General-duty citation text

29 CFR  1910.147(c)(4)(i):Procedures shall be developed, documented and utilized for the control of potentially hazardous energy when employees are engaged in the activities covered by this section.   Note: Exception: The employer need not document the required procedure for a particular machine or equipment, when all of the following elements exist: (1) The machine or equipment has no potential for stored or residual energy or re-accumulation of stored energy after shut down which could endanger employees; (2) the machine or equipment has a single energy source which can be readily identified and isolated; (3) the isolation and locking out of that energy source will completely deenergize and deactivate the machine or equipment; (4) the machine or equipment is isolated from that energy source and locked out during servicing or maintenance; (5) a single lockout device will achieve a locker-out condition; (6) the lockout device is under the exclusive control of the authorized employee performing the servicing or maintenance; (7) the servicing or maintenance does not create hazards for other employees; and (8) the employer, in utilizing this exception, has had no accidents involving the unexpected activation or reenergization of the machine or equipment during servicing or maintenance.  a. On or about September 10, 2021 and at times prior, the employer failed implement and ensure employees utilized  the written energy control procedures for finishing/binding equipment, such as but not limited to Pacesetter #2, Pocket #3. Supervisors did not enforce the energy control procedures as operators routinely made timing adjustments, cleaned equipment and cleared jams during normal production operations. This practice exposed employees to caught-in hazards.

Issued

Jan 13, 2022

Abate by

Feb 9, 2022

Penalty

Initial $12,288 · Current $0 Reduced

General-duty citation text

29 CFR  1910.147(c)(6)(i): The employer shall conduct a periodic inspection of the energy control procedures at least annually to ensure that the procedure and the requirements of this standard are being followed.   a.  On or about September 10, 2021 and at times prior,  the employer did not conduct annual or more frequent inspections of the energy control procedures and employees utilizing hazardous energy control to ensure that the procedures were adequate and were being utilized correctly. Employees perform servicing, cleaning and maintenance on binding equipment, such as but not limited to Pacesetter #2, Pocket #3, where the unexpected energizing, startup or release of stored energy could occur and cause injury. The following condition exposes employees to caught-in/struck-by hazards.

Issued

Jan 13, 2022

Abate by

Feb 9, 2022

Penalty

Initial $12,288 · Current $0 Reduced

General-duty citation text

29 CFR  1910.147(c)(7)(i)(A):Each authorized employee shall receive training in the recognition of applicable hazardous energy sources, the type and magnitude of the energy available in the workplace, and the methods and means necessary for energy isolation and control.  a. On or about September 10, 2021 and at times prior, finishing/binding equipment operators who performed regular maintenance and servicing activities, were not provided with training on hazardous energy control. Employees performed maintenance/servicing on equipment such as, but not limited to Pacesetter #2, Pocket #3.  As a result, employees were exposed to hazardous energy sources such as, but not limited to, electrical, mechanical , gravitational and pneumatic that may result in struck-by/caught-in hazards.

Issued

Jan 13, 2022

Abate by

Feb 9, 2022

Penalty

Initial $12,288 · Current $0 Reduced

General-duty citation text

29 CFR  1910.147(d):Application of control. The established procedures for the application of energy control (the lockout or tagout procedures) shall cover the following elements and actions and shall be done in the following sequence:  a. On or about September 10, 2021 and at times prior, employees were exposed to machine hazards associated with moving parts during service and maintenance of Pacesetter # 2, Pocket # 3. The employer did not implement energy control application steps as the machine was not shut down and turned off  prior to performing work [per the 1910.147(d)(2) requirements]. As a result, the remaining applicable energy control elements, involving machine isolation [(d)(3)], LOTO device application [(d)(4)] and verification of isolation [(d)(6)], were not implemented to protect the employee from machine servicing hazards.

Issued

Jan 13, 2022

Abate by

Feb 9, 2022

Penalty

Initial $12,288 · Current $0 Reduced

General-duty citation text

29 CFR  1910.147(f)(1):Testing or positioning of machines, equipment or components thereof. In situations in which lockout or tagout devices must be temporarily removed from the energy isolating device and the machine or equipment energized to test or position the machine, equipment or component thereof, the following sequence of actions shall be followed:  29 CFR  1910.147(f)(1)(ii): Remove employees from the machine or equipment area in accordance with paragraph (e)(2) of this section;  a. On or about September 10, 2021 and at times prior,  the employer did not ensure employees were protected from the moving parts of Pacesetter #2, Pocket #3 while conducting servicing/maintenance activities, by removing the employees from the equipment when performing testing and positioning activities , thereby exposing the employees to caught-in hazards.

Issued

Jan 13, 2022

Abate by

Feb 9, 2022

Penalty

Initial $12,288 · Current $0 Reduced

General-duty citation text

29 CFR  1910.147(f)(3)(ii)(D):Each authorized employee shall affix a personal lockout or tagout device to the group lockout device, group lockbox, or comparable mechanism when he or she begins work, and shall remove those devices when he or she stops working on the machine or equipment being serviced or maintained.  a. On or about September 10, 2021 and at times prior,  the employer did not ensure employees were protected from machine caught-in hazards while performing a group lockout/tagout activities when conducting servicing/maintenance of Pacesetter #2, Pocket #3. Two employees were involved in the servicing/maintenance activity without their locks affixed to energy isolating devices.

Issued

Jan 13, 2022

Abate by

Feb 9, 2022

Penalty

Initial $5,266 · Current $5,266

General-duty citation text

29 CFR  1910.242(b):Compressed air used for cleaning. Compressed air shall not be used for cleaning purposes except where reduced to less than 30 p.s.i. and then only with effective chip guarding and personal protective equipment.  a.  On or about September 10, 2021 and at times prior, employees used compressed air at approximately 114 psi to clean out the finishing/binding equipment,  exposing employees to struck-by to the eye and health hazards.

Issued

Jan 13, 2022

Penalty

Initial $1,756 · Current $1,756

General-duty citation text

29 CFR  1904.29(b)(3):How quickly must each injury or illness be recorded? You must enter each recordable injury or illness on the OSHA 300 Log and 301 Incident Report within seven (7) calendar days of receiving information that a recordable injury or illness has occurred.  a. On or about August 9, 2021, the employer failed to log a recordable injury on the OSHA 300 log and the 301 incident report within seven calendar days of the incident occurring. An injury incident occurred on August 9, 2021 and was not logged on the OSHA 300 log or a 301 incident report until approximately December 21, 2021.