OSHA Inspection: ATHENS MOLD AND MACHINE, INC.

Issued

Sep 20, 2022

Abate by

Sep 30, 2022

Penalty

Initial $7,252 · Current $4,351 Reduced

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 reaccumulation 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 April 19, 2022, the employer did not ensure that energy control procedures were utilized for an employee performing maintenance/servicing activities on the Webster & Bennett vertical lathe, company equipment #A08 while adjusting feed nuts on the hand wheel. The following condition exposed employees to caught-in and struck-by hazards.

Issued

Sep 20, 2022

Abate by

Sep 30, 2022

Penalty

Initial $0 · Current $0

General-duty citation text

29 CFR  1910.147(d): The established procedure for the application of energy control (the lockout or tagout procedure) was not done in sequence as required by 29 CFR 1910.147(d)(4) through (d)(6):   a. On or about April 19, 2022, an employee was exposed to machine hazards associated with moving parts hazards during servicing/maintenance the handwheel feed nuts, of the Webster & Bennett vertical lathe, company equipment #A08. The employer to ensure employees implement energy control application steps as LOTO devices were not applied to the electrical disconnect [per the 1910.147(d)(4) requirements]. As a result, the remaining applicable energy control elements, involving dissipation of residual energy [(d)(5)(i), and verification of isolation [(d)(6)], were not implemented to protect employees from machine servicing hazards.

Issued

Sep 20, 2022

Penalty

Initial $7,252 · Current $4,351 Reduced

General-duty citation text

29 CFR  1910.219(d)(1):Guarding. Pulleys, any parts of which are seven (7) feet or less from the floor or working platform, shall be guarded in accordance with the standards specified in paragraphs (m) and (o) of this section. Pulleys serving as balance wheels (e.g., punch presses) on which the point of contact between belt and pulley is more than six feet six inches (6 ft. 6 in.) from the floor or platform may be guarded with a disk covering the spokes.  a. On or about April 19, 2022, the employer did not ensure that the drive pulleys located at Webster & Bennett Vertical Lathe, company equipment #A09 was guarded to protect employees from caught-in hazards created from in-running nip points

Issued

Sep 20, 2022

Penalty

Initial $0 · Current $0

General-duty citation text

29 CFR  1910.219(e)(1)(i):Where both runs of horizontal belts are seven (7) feet or less from the floor level, the guard shall extend to at least fifteen (15) inches above the belt or to a standard height, except that where both runs of a horizontal belt are 42 inches or less from the floor, the belt shall be fully enclosed in accordance with paragraphs (m) and (o) of this section.  a. On or about April 19, 2022, the horizontal belt to the motor located at Webster & Bennett Vertical Lathe, company equipment #A09 was not adequately guarded, thereby exposing employees to burn hazards.

Issued

Sep 20, 2022

Abate by

Nov 14, 2022

Penalty

Initial $4,351 · Current $2,611 Reduced

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 April 19, 2022 and at times prior, employees used compressed air at approximately 70 psi to clean the equipment and materials being worked on, exposing employees to struck-by hazards.

Issued

Sep 20, 2022

Abate by

Nov 14, 2022

Penalty

Initial $7,252 · Current $4,351 Reduced

General-duty citation text

29 CFR  1910.1200(f)(6):Workplace labeling. Except as provided in paragraphs (f)(7) and (f)(8) of this section, the employer shall ensure that each container of hazardous chemicals in the workplace is labeled, tagged or marked with either:  29 CFR  1910.1200(f)(6)(ii): 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, will provide employees with the specific information regarding the physical and health hazards of the hazardous chemical.  a. On or about April 19, 2022, the employer did not ensure that secondary containers of hazardous materials were labelled correctly with the content of the container and the hazard warnings of the material contained therein.   Secondary containers of materials such as but not limited to coolant/antifreeze, kerosene, rust preventers, oils/greases, cleaners and degreasers used during normal operations and preventative/corrective maintenance were not labeled with their contents and hazard warnings.