OSHA Inspection: JOHNSON BRASS & MACHINE FOUNDRY, INC.

Issued

Sep 16, 2022

Abate by

Oct 26, 2022

Penalty

Initial $0 · Current $64,638

Hazardous substances 1591

General-duty citation text

29 CFR  1910.1025(d)(4)(i):  Where a determination conducted under paragraphs (d)(2) and (3) of this section shows the possibility of any employee exposure at or above the action level, the employer shall conduct monitoring which is representative of the exposure for each employee in the workplace who is exposed to lead.   At a facility located at 207 N. Mill Street, Saukville, WI 53080; the employer did not conduct monitoring which was representative of the exposure for each employee exposed to lead in the Foundry. Where the employer possessed information such as, but not limited to, prior exposure monitoring results exceeding the action level and permissible exposure limit for lead, and other information that would indicate employee exposure to lead; the employer had not conducted exposure monitoring that is representative of the highest potential lead exposure levels for Furnace Operator and Spinner Operator employees working in the Foundry area.

Issued

Sep 16, 2022

Abate by

Oct 17, 2022

Penalty

Initial $7,252 · Current $7,252

General-duty citation text

29 CFR  1910.28(b)(6)(i):  Each employee less than 4 feet (1.2 m) above dangerous equipment is protected from falling into or onto the dangerous equipment by a guardrail system or a travel restraint system, unless the equipment is covered or guarded to eliminate the hazard:  On June 22, 2022, at a facility located at 207 N. Mill Street, Saukville, WI 53080; the employer did not protect Furnace Operator or Spinner Operator employees from falls of less than 4 feet into dangerous equipment. The guardrail system around the pit of Furnaces D and E was not complete with a top rail and mid rail which exposed employees to falls into the pit where they would be exposed to caught-between hazards posed by the tilting furnace, as well as burn hazards from molten metal in the pit from either scraping slag from the furnace or spilled from the furnace or ladle into the pit.

Issued

Sep 16, 2022

Abate by

Oct 26, 2022

Penalty

Initial $7,252 · Current $4,627 Reduced

Hazardous substances 07311591

General-duty citation text

29 CFR  1910.134(c)(1): In any workplace where respirators are necessary to protect the health of the employee or whenever respirators are required by the employer, the employer shall establish and implement a written respiratory protection program with worksite-specific procedures. The program shall be updated as necessary to reflect those changes in workplace conditions that affect respirator use. The employer shall include in the program the following provisions of this section, as applicable:  At a facility located at 207 N. Mill Street, Saukville, WI 53080; the employer did not establish or implement a written respiratory protection program with worksite-specific procedures when respirators were necessary to protect the health of the employees and when the employer required employees to wear the respirators. Half-face tight-fitting negative pressure air-purifying respirators were necessary to protect the health of Spinner employees who were exposed to lead and copper fume, each exceeding their respective OSHA Permissible Exposure Limit (PEL). Foundry employees, including but not limited to Furnace Operators and Spinner Operators, were all required to wear half-face tight-fitting negative pressure air-purifying respirators when working in the Foundry.  All provisions of 29 CFR 1910.134(d) through (m) shall be contained in a written respiratory protection program for mandatory use of respirators. Key elements include, but are not limited to: 1)  Procedures for selection of respirators 2)  Medical evaluations for respirator use 3)  Fit testing procedures 4)  Procedures for proper use, cleaning, maintenance, and storage of respirators 5)  Employee training 6)  Procedures for regularly evaluating the respirator program

Issued

Sep 16, 2022

Abate by

Oct 26, 2022

Penalty

Initial $0 · Current $0

Hazardous substances 07311591

General-duty citation text

29 CFR  1910.134(f)(5):  The fit test shall be administered using an OSHA-accepted qualitative fit test (QLFT) or quantitative fit test (QNFT) protocol. The OSHA-accepted QLFT and QNFT protocols and procedures are contained in Appendix A of this section:  At a facility located at 207 N. Mill Street, Saukville, WI 53080; the employer did not administer QLFT or QNFT protocols when providing fit tests to Foundry Employees. Appendix A, Part I.A.9. "Fit Testing Procedures - General Requirements", of this section states in part, "The test shall not be conducted if there is any hair growth between the skin and the facepiece sealing surface, such as stubble beard growth, beard, mustache or sideburns which cross the respirator sealing surface." A Furnace Operator employee was administered a fit test while having a beard which crossed the respirator sealing surface.

Issued

Sep 16, 2022

Abate by

Oct 26, 2022

Penalty

Initial $0 · Current $0

Hazardous substances 07311591

General-duty citation text

29 CFR  1910.134(g)(1)(i)(A):  The employer shall not permit respirators with tight-fitting facepieces to be worn by employees who have facial hair that comes between the sealing surface of the facepiece and the face or that interferes with valve function:  On or about June 22, 2022, at a facility located at 207 N. Mill Street, Saukville, WI 53080; the employer permitted respirators with tight-fitting facepieces to be worn by employees whose facial hair came between the sealing surface of the facepiece and the face. In the Foundry, where respirator use was required by the employer and necessary to protect the health of workers, two Furnace Operator employees were observed with facial hair in the form of a beard and stubble beard growth. In both cases, the facial hair was observed to be between their faces and the sealing surfaces of their respirators.

Issued

Sep 16, 2022

Abate by

Oct 17, 2022

Penalty

Initial $7,252 · Current $4,628 Reduced

Hazardous substances 1591

General-duty citation text

29 CFR  1910.1025(l)(1)(iv):  The training program shall be repeated at least annually for each employee:  At a facility located at 207 N. Mill Street, Saukville, WI 53080; the employer did not repeat the lead training program for each employee at least annually. Foundry employees, including but not limited to Furnace Operators and Spinner Operators, who worked with and were exposed to lead above the action level, were not given annually repeated training as required by this section.

Issued

Sep 16, 2022

Abate by

Oct 17, 2022

Penalty

Initial $0 · Current $0

Hazardous substances 06890731

General-duty citation text

29 CFR  1910.1200(h)(3)(ii):  Employee training shall include at least the physical, health, simple asphyxiation, combustible dust, and pyrophoric gas hazards, as well as hazards not otherwise classified, of the chemicals in the work area;  At a facility located at 207 N. Mill Street, Saukville, WI 53080; the employer did not include the health hazards of chemicals in the work area when:  b) Spinner Operator employees had not been trained or provided information on metal fume fever symptoms and cumulative lung damage health hazards presented by copper fume exposure in the work areas during melting, pouring and centrifugal casting of alloys containing copper.

Issued

Sep 16, 2022

Abate by

Oct 26, 2022

Penalty

Initial $7,252 · Current $4,628 Reduced

Hazardous substances 0689

General-duty citation text

29 CFR  1910.1026(d)(1):  Each employer who has a workplace or work operation covered by this section shall determine the 8-hour TWA exposure for each employee exposed to chromium (VI). This determination shall be made in accordance with either paragraph (d)(2) or paragraph (d)(3) of this section:  At a facility located at 207 N. Mill Street, Saukville, WI 53080; the employer did not determine the 8-hour TWA exposure for each employee exposed to chromium (VI). Furnace Operator and Spinner Operator employees melting and pouring stainless steel alloys in the Foundry area were exposed to chromium (VI) in the workplace. The employer did not conduct exposure determinations through personal air sampling or objective data, to determine if employees were exposed to chromium (VI) at or above the action level.