OSHA Inspection: PITCH PINES LANDSCAPING, LLC

Issued

2023-03-06 00:00:00

Abate by

2023-04-20 00:00:00

Penalty

Initial $6250.00 · Current $3125.00 Reduced

Hazardous substances 9000

General-duty citation text

29 CFR  1910.134(c)(1): A written respiratory protection program that included the provisions in 29 CFR 1910.134(c)(1)(i) - (ix) with worksite specific procedures was not established and implemented for required respirator use: (Construction Reference 1926.103)  Location: 2324 East Main Street, Waterbury, CT 06705 - On or about September 7, 2022, the employer had not established and implemented a written respiratory protection program for the required use of N95 filtering facepieces during tuckpointing tasks.

Issued

2023-03-06 00:00:00

Abate by

2023-04-20 00:00:00

Penalty

Initial $0.00 · Current $0.00

Hazardous substances 9000

General-duty citation text

29 CFR  1926.1153(e)(2): Where respirator use is required by this section, the employer did not institute a respiratory protection program in accordance with 29 CFR 1910.134:   Location: 2324 East Main Street, Waterbury, CT 06705 - On or about September 7, 2022, the employer had not established and implemented a written respiratory protection program for the required use of N95 filtering facepieces during tuckpointing tasks.

Issued

2023-03-06 00:00:00

Abate by

2023-04-20 00:00:00

Penalty

Initial $0.00 · Current $0.00

Hazardous substances 9000

General-duty citation text

29 CFR  1910.134(e)(1): The employer did not provide a medical evaluation to determine the employee's ability to use a respirator, before the employee was fit tested or required to use the respirator in the workplace: (Construction Reference 1926.103)  Location: 2324 East Main Street, Waterbury, CT 06705 - On or about September 7, 2022, the employer had not provided  each employee with a medical evaluation to assess their ability to use a respirator prior to the required use of N95 filtering facepieces during tuckpointing tasks.

Issued

2023-03-06 00:00:00

Abate by

2023-04-20 00:00:00

Penalty

Initial $0.00 · Current $0.00

General-duty citation text

29 CFR  1910.134(f)(1): The employer did not ensure that employee(s) required to use a tight-fitting facepiece respirator passed the appropriate qualitative fit test (QLFT) or quantitative fit test (QNFT): (Construction Reference 1926.103)   Location: 2324 East Main Street, Waterbury, CT 06705 - On or about September 7, 2022, employees were required to wear N95 particulate respirators during tuckpointing tasks and the employer had not ensured that the affected employees had passed an appropriate qualitative or quantitative fit test.

Issued

2023-03-06 00:00:00

Abate by

2023-04-20 00:00:00

Penalty

Initial $0.00 · Current $0.00

Hazardous substances 9000

General-duty citation text

29 CFR  1910.134(k)(1): The employer did not provide respirator training that would ensure each employee could demonstrate knowledge of items in section (i)-(vii):  Location: 2324 East Main Street, Waterbury, CT 06705 - On or about September 7, 2022, the employer did not provide employees who were required to wear N95 particulate respirators the required training and information prior to respirator use.

Issued

2023-03-06 00:00:00

Abate by

2023-04-20 00:00:00

Penalty

Initial $6250.00 · Current $0.00 Reduced

Hazardous substances 9000

General-duty citation text

29 CFR  1910.134(d)(1)(i): Selection of appropriate respirators was not based on the respiratory hazard(s) to which the worker was exposed and user factors that affect respirator performance and reliability: (Construction Reference 1926.103)   Location: 2324 East Main Street, Waterbury, CT 06705 - On or about September 7, 2022, the employer did not ensure that employees wore respiratory protection with a minimum assigned protection factor (APF) of 25 when completing tuckpointing for four or more hours as required in 29 CFR 1926.1153 Table 1, Task xi.  Employees had been wearing N95 particulate respirators with an APF of 10.

Issued

2023-03-06 00:00:00

Abate by

2023-04-20 00:00:00

Penalty

Initial $0.00 · Current $0.00

Hazardous substances 9000

General-duty citation text

29 CFR  1926.1153(e)(1): Where respiratory protection was required by this section, the employer did not provide each employee an appropriate respirator that complied with the requirements of this paragraph and 29 CFR 1910.134:   Location: 2324 East Main Street, Waterbury, CT 06705 - On or about September 7, 2022, the employer did not ensure that employees wore respiratory protection with a minimum assigned protection factor (APF) of 25 when completing tuckpointing for more than four hours in accordance with Table 1, Task xi. Employees had been wearing N95 particulate respirators with an APF of 10.

Issued

2023-03-06 00:00:00

Abate by

2023-04-20 00:00:00

Penalty

Initial $6250.00 · Current $3125.00 Reduced

Hazardous substances 9000

General-duty citation text

29 CFR  1910.1200(e)(1):The employer did not develop, implement, and/or maintain 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: (Construction Reference: 1926.59)  Location: 2324 East Main Street, Waterbury, CT 06705 - On or about September 7, 2022, the employer had not established and implemented a written hazard communication program for the hazardous chemicals used in repointing tasks including, but not limited to, mason sand, portland cement, and respirable crystalline silica exposure during tuckpointing tasks.

Issued

2023-03-06 00:00:00

Abate by

2023-04-20 00:00:00

Penalty

Initial $0.00 · Current $0.00

Hazardous substances 9000

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, and did not ensure that they were readily accessible during each work shift to employees when they were in their work area(s):   Location: 2324 East Main Street, Waterbury, CT 06705 - On or about September 8, 2022, Employees were working with hazardous chemicals including, but not limited to portland cement and mason sand.  The employer did not ensure that the safety data sheets were available.

Issued

2023-03-06 00:00:00

Abate by

2023-04-20 00:00:00

Penalty

Initial $0.00 · Current $0.00

Hazardous substances 9000

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: (Construction Reference: 1926.59)   Location: 2324 East Main Street, Waterbury, CT 06705 - On or about September 8, 2022, employees had not been provided with effective information on the hazardous chemicals used in repointing tasks, including mason sand, portland cement, and colorant as well as respirable crystalline silica exposure during tuckpointing tasks.

Issued

2023-03-06 00:00:00

Abate by

2023-04-20 00:00:00

Penalty

Initial $0.00 · Current $0.00

Hazardous substances 9000

General-duty citation text

29 CFR  1926.1153(i)(1): The employer did not include respirable crystalline silica in the program established to comply with the hazard communication standard (HCS) (29 CFR 1910.1200):     Location: 2324 East Main Street, Waterbury, CT 06705 - On or about September 7, 2022, the employer had not included respirable crystalline silica in a written hazard communication program for employees  in tuckpointing and repointing tasks.

Issued

2023-03-06 00:00:00

Abate by

2023-04-20 00:00:00

Penalty

Initial $3572.00 · Current $1786.00 Reduced

General-duty citation text

29 CFR  1926.300(b)(1):Power operated tool(s), designed to accommodate guards, were not equipped with such guards when in use:(a)  2324 East Main Street, Waterbury, CT:  On or about September 7, 2022, employees used a Makita angle grinder while tuckpointing the exterior stone walls of the mausoleum.  The angle grinder was not equipped with a guard thereby exposing the employees to potential struck-by hazards.

Issued

2023-03-06 00:00:00

Abate by

2023-04-20 00:00:00

Penalty

Initial $6250.00 · Current $3125.00 Reduced

General-duty citation text

29 CFR  1926.451(f)(7):Scaffolds were not erected, moved, dismantled, or altered, by trained and experienced employees under the supervision and direction of a competent person qualified in scaffold erection, moving, dismantling or alteration:; Such activities were not performed only by experienced and trained employees selected for such work by the competent person.  Location: 2324 East Main Street, Waterbury, CT 06705 - On or about September 8, 2022, a mobile tube and coupler scaffold measuring 62 inches deep by 98 inches wide had been erected with two working platforms at approximately 12 and 18 feet.  Employees had been working on the platforms to tuckpoint and repoint the stone wall exterior of the mausoleum.  The scaffold was erected and moved around at the site without experienced and trained employees or a competent person.

Issued

2023-03-06 00:00:00

Abate by

2023-04-20 00:00:00

Penalty

Initial $0.00 · Current $0.00

General-duty citation text

29 CFR  1926.451(b)(1)(ii): The platform was not planked or decked as fully as possible and the remaining open space between the platform and the uprights exceeded 9.5 inches (24.1 cm):   Location: 2324 East Main Street, Waterbury, CT 06705 - On or about September 8, 2022, employees were working on a mobile tube and coupler scaffold with working platforms at approximately 12 and 18 feet above grade.  Each platform had only two planks despite a scaffold depth of 62 inches.

Issued

2023-03-06 00:00:00

Abate by

2023-04-20 00:00:00

Penalty

Initial $0.00 · Current $0.00

General-duty citation text

29 CFR  1926.451(c)(2): Supported scaffold poles, legs, posts, frames,  or uprights did not bear on base plates and mud sills or other adequate firm foundation:   Location: 2324 East Main Street, Waterbury, CT 06705 - On or about September 8, 2022, employees used a mobile tube and coupler scaffold to perform tuckpointing and repointing of the exterior stone walls of a mausoleum.  The scaffold poles were supported by wheels that rested directly on the grass/dirt without mudsills or other foundation thereby exposing employees to greater fall risk.

Issued

2023-03-06 00:00:00

Abate by

2023-04-20 00:00:00

Penalty

Initial $0.00 · Current $0.00

General-duty citation text

29 CFR  1926.451(e)(1): When scaffold platforms were more than 2 feet (0.6 m) above or below a point of access, portable ladders, hook-on ladders, attachable ladders, stair towers (scaffold stairways/towers), stairway-type ladders (such as ladder stands), ramps, walkways, integral prefabricated scaffold access, or direct access from another scaffold, structure, personnel hoist, or similar surface was not used:   2324 East Main Street, Waterbury, CT:  On or about September 8, 2022, employees were working on a mobile tube and couple scaffold with working platforms approximately 12 feet and 18 feet above the ground.  There were no ladders, stair towers, or other access to the platforms.

Issued

2023-03-06 00:00:00

Abate by

2023-04-20 00:00:00

Penalty

Initial $0.00 · Current $0.00

General-duty citation text

29 CFR  1926.451(g)(1): Employees on scaffolds more than 10 feet (3.1 m) above a lower level were not protected from falling to that lower level by fall protection established in paragraphs (g)(1)(i)-(vii) of this section:   Location: 2324 East Main Street, Waterbury, CT 06705 - On or about September 8, 2022, employees used a mobile tube and coupler scaffold to do tuckpointing and repointing of the exterior stone walls of the mausoleum.  There were two working platforms at approximately 12 and 18 feet above the ground.  The platforms were not fully planked.  No fall protection system (e.g., guardrails or personal fall arrest system) was in use.

Issued

2023-03-06 00:00:00

Abate by

2023-04-20 00:00:00

Penalty

Initial $0.00 · Current $0.00

General-duty citation text

29 CFR  1926.452(b)(2): Transverse bracing forming an "X" across the width of the scaffold was not installed at the scaffold ends and at least at every third set of posts horizontally (measured from only one end) and every fourth runner vertically. Bracing did not extend diagonally from the inner or outer posts or runners upward to the next outer or inner posts or runners:  2324 East Main Street, Waterbury, CT:  On or about September 8, 2022, employees were working on a mobile tube and coupler scaffold with two working platforms at approximately 12 feet and 18 feet above the ground.  There were no transverse ("X") braces installed.

Issued

2023-03-06 00:00:00

Abate by

2023-04-20 00:00:00

Penalty

Initial $6250.00 · Current $3125.00 Reduced

General-duty citation text

29 CFR  1926.501(b)(6): Each employee on ramps, runways, and other walkways was not protected from falling 6 feet (1.8 m) or more to lower levels by guardrail systems:  2324 East Main Street, Waterbury, CT:  On or about September 8, 2022, employees were working on a mobile tube and coupler scaffold with a working platform at approximately 12 feet above the ground.    There were two planks that made a walkway extending from this working platform laterally to the roof of the mausoleum.  The employees stated that they sometimes used the walkway to access the roof to take their breaks.  They did not have fall protection when using the walkway.

Issued

2023-03-06 00:00:00

Abate by

2023-04-20 00:00:00

Penalty

Initial $6250.00 · Current $3125.00 Reduced

Hazardous substances 9000

General-duty citation text

29 CFR  1926.1153(c)(1):For each employee engaged in a task identified on Table 1, the employer did not fully and properly implement the engineering controls, work practices, and respiratory protection specified for the task on Table 1, unless the employer assesses and limits the exposure of the employee to respirable crystalline silica in accordance with paragraph (d) of this section  Location: 2324 East Main Street, Waterbury, CT 06705 - On or about September 7, 2022, employees were tuckpointing the exterior stone walls  of a mausoleum (Table 1, Task xi) but did not fully implement the requirements of Table 1 in that: 1.  They used hand-held Makita angle grinders that were not equipped with commercially available shrouds and dust collection systems. 2.  They did not operate and maintain the tools in accordance with the manufacturer's instructions.

Issued

2023-03-06 00:00:00

Abate by

2023-04-20 00:00:00

Penalty

Initial $0.00 · Current $0.00

General-duty citation text

29 CFR  1926.1153(d)(2)(i): The employer did not assess the exposure of each employee who was or may reasonably be expected to be exposed to respirable crystalline silica at or above the action level in accordance with either the performance option in paragraph (d)(2)(ii) or the scheduled monitoring option in paragraph (d)(2)(iii) of this section:   Location: 2324 East Main Street, Waterbury, CT 06705 - On or about September 7, 2022, employees were performing tuckpointing on the exterior stone walls of a mausoleum (Table 1, Task xi).  The employer did not ensure that the requirements of Table 1 were fully and properly implemented.  The employer also did not perform an assessment of each employee's exposure to respirable crystalline silica.

Issued

2023-03-06 00:00:00

Abate by

2023-04-20 00:00:00

Penalty

Initial $6250.00 · Current $0.00 Reduced

Hazardous substances 9000

General-duty citation text

29 CFR  1926.1153(g)(1): The employer did not establish and implement a written exposure control plan:   Location: 2324 East Main Street, Waterbury, CT 06705 - On or about September 7, 2022, the employer had not established and implemented a written silica control plan for occupational exposure to respirable crystalline silica.  Three employees were directed to tuckpoint (Table 1, Task xi) the exterior stone walls of a mausoleum.