OSHA Inspection: SHARON S. RICHARDSON COMMUNITY HOSPICE, INC.

Issued

2022-04-08 00:00:00

Abate by

2022-05-06 00:00:00

Penalty

Initial $7925.00 · Current $5548.00 Reduced

General-duty citation text

29 CFR  1910.134(a)(2): A respirator shall be provided to each employee when such equipment is necessary to protect the health of such employee. The employer shall provide the respirators which are applicable and suitable for the purpose intended. The employer shall be responsible for the establishment and maintenance of a respiratory protection program, which shall include the requirements outlined in paragraph (c) of this section. The program shall cover each employee required by this section to use a respirator.  a) At the facility located at W2850 State Road 28, Sheboygan Falls, WI 53085, the employer did not ensure each employee used a NIOSH-certified respirator when such equipment was necessary to protect the health of each employee. An employee wore a NIOSH-unapproved KN95 filtering facepiece respirator while caring for a suspected or confirmed positive COVID-19 patient, exposing the employee to the hazards associated with SARS-CoV-2 (severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2). At a minimum, an N95 NIOSH-certified filtering facepiece respirator is necessary to protect employees from SARS-CoV-2.

Issued

2022-04-08 00:00:00

Abate by

2022-05-06 00:00:00

Penalty

Initial $0.00 · Current $0.00

General-duty citation text

29 CFR  1910.134(d)(1)(ii):The employer shall select a NIOSH-certified respirator. The respirator shall be used in compliance with the conditions of its certification.  a) At the facility located at W2850 State Road 28, Sheboygan Falls, WI 53085, the employer did not ensure that each employee required to wear a respirator while caring for suspected or confirmed positive COVID-19 patients wore a NIOSH-certified respirator. An employee wore a NIOSH-unapproved KN95 filtering facepiece respirator while caring for a suspected or confirmed positive COVID-19 patient, exposing the employee to the hazards associated with SARS-CoV-2 (severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2). At a minimum, an N95 NIOSH-certified filtering facepiece respirator is necessary to protect employees from SARS-CoV-2.

Issued

2022-04-08 00:00:00

Abate by

2022-05-06 00:00:00

Penalty

Initial $6340.00 · Current $4438.00 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.  a) At the facility located at W2850 State Road 28, Sheboygan Falls, WI 53085, the employer did not provide medical evaluations to determine each employee's abilities to use respirators, exposing employees to the hazards associated with inadequate physical/physiological capability. Employees using N95 filtering facepiece respirators necessary to protect from hazards associated with SARS-CoV-2 (severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2) while caring for suspected or confirmed positive COVID-19 patients were not provided with medical evaluations prior to being required to wear the respirators.

Issued

2022-04-08 00:00:00

Abate by

2022-05-06 00:00:00

Penalty

Initial $0.00 · Current $0.00

General-duty citation text

29 CFR  1910.134(f)(1): The employer shall ensure that employees using a tight-fitting facepiece respirator pass an appropriate qualitative fit test (QLFT) or quantitative fit test (QNFT) as stated in this paragraph.  a) At the facility located at W2850 St Rd 28, Sheboygan Falls, WI 53085, the employer did not ensure that employees required to wear N95 filtering facepiece respirators necessary to protect from hazards associated with SARS-CoV-2 (severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2) passed a QLFT or QNFT. Employees used N95 filtering facepiece respirators while caring for suspected or confirmed positive COVID-19 patients.

Issued

2022-04-08 00:00:00

Abate by

2022-05-06 00:00:00

Penalty

Initial $0.00 · Current $0.00

General-duty citation text

29 CFR  1910.134(g)(1)(iii):For all tight-fitting respirators, the employer shall ensure that employees perform a user seal check each time they put on the respirator using the procedures in Appendix B-1 or procedures recommended by the respirator manufacturer that the employer demonstrates are as effective as those in Appendix B-1 of this section.  a) At the facility located at W2850 State Road 28, Sheboygan Falls, WI 53085, the employer did not ensure employees required to wear respirators performed a user seal check each time they put on an N95 filtering facepiece respirator while caring for suspected or confirmed COVID- 19 residents, exposing employees to the hazards associated with SARS-CoV-2 (severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2).

Issued

2022-04-08 00:00:00

Abate by

2022-05-06 00:00:00

Penalty

Initial $0.00 · Current $0.00

General-duty citation text

29 CFR  1910.134(k): Training and information. This paragraph requires the employer to provide effective training to employees who are required to use respirators. The training must be comprehensive, understandable, and recur annually, and more often if necessary. This paragraph also requires the employer to provide the basic information on respirators in Appendix D of this section to employees who wear respirators when not required by this section or by the employer to do so.  a) At the facility located at W2850 State Road 28, Sheboygan Falls, WI 53085, the employer did not provide effective training to employees that were required to use N95 filtering facepiece respirators while caring for suspected or confirmed positive COVID-19 patients, exposing employees to the hazards associated with SARS-CoV-2 (severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2).  All provisions of 29 CFR 1910.134(k)(1) through (k)(6) shall be provided to employees wearing respirators. Key elements include, but are not limited to the following:  1) Effective respirator inspection and use 2) Procedures for maintenance, care and storage of respirators 3) Recognition of signs/symptoms that may limit respirator use 4) The general requirements of this section