OSHA Inspection: NEWOODS, INC.

Issued

May 26, 2023

Abate by

Jan 30, 2025

Penalty

Initial $6,026 · Current $3,013 Reduced

Hazardous substances 9000

General-duty citation text

29 CFR  1910.22(a)(1): The employer did not ensure that all places of employment, passageways, storerooms, service rooms, and walking-working surfaces are kept in a clean, orderly, and sanitary condition:  On or about December 1, 2022, inside of the warehouse, employees manufacturing bricks utilized walking and working surfaces that were cluttered with material such as but not limited to broken cement, sand, crushed rock, and lightweight aggregate.

Issued

May 26, 2023

Abate by

Feb 12, 2025

Penalty

Initial $14,063 · Current $7,032 Reduced

Hazardous substances 8110

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1910.95(c)(1):  The employer did not administer a continuing, effective hearing conservation program as described in 29 CFR 1910.9(c) through (o) whenever employee noise exposures equal or exceed an 8-hour time-weighted average sound level of 85 decibels measured on the A scale, or equivalently a dose of fifty percent:  a) On or about December 1, 2022, at the brick turner, an employee was exposed to continuous noise levels at 166.8% of the permissible daily noise exposure or an equivalent sound level of approximately 93.6 dBA during the 511-minute sampling period.   b) On or about December 1, 2022, at the cuber area, an employee was exposed to continuous noise levels at 143.5% of the permissible daily noise exposure or an equivalent sound level of approximately 92.6 dBA during the 520-minute sampling period.   c) On or about December 1, 2022, at the brick warehouse, an employee was exposed to continuous noise levels at 162.7% of the permissible daily noise exposure or an equivalent sound level of approximately 93.5 dBA during the  464-minute sampling period; exposure calculations included a zero increment for the sixteen minutes unsampled.   d) On or about December 1, 2022, at the loading dock and concrete mixer, an employee was exposed to continuous noise levels at 76.7% of the permissible daily noise exposure or an equivalent sound level of approximately 88 dBA during the  510-minute sampling period.

Issued

May 26, 2023

Abate by

Jan 30, 2025

Penalty

Initial $14,063 · Current $7,032 Reduced

Hazardous substances 8111

General-duty citation text

29 CFR  1910.95(g)(5)(i):  The employer did not establish, within 6 months of an employee's first exposure at or above the action level, a valid baseline audiogram against which subsequent audiograms can be compared:  a) On or about December 1, 2022, at the brick turner, an employee was exposed to continuous noise levels at 166.8% of the permissible daily noise exposure or an equivalent sound level of approximately 93.6 dBA during the 511-minute sampling period.   b) On or about December 1, 2022, at the cuber area, an employee was exposed to continuous noise levels at 143.5% of the permissible daily noise exposure or an equivalent sound level of approximately 92.6 dBA during the 520-minute sampling period.   c) On or about December 1, 2022, at the brick warehouse, an employee was exposed to continuous noise levels at 162.7% of the permissible daily noise exposure or an equivalent sound level of approximately 93.5 dBA during the  464-minute sampling period; exposure calculations included a zero increment for the sixteen minutes unsampled.   d) On or about December 1, 2022, at the loading dock and concrete mixer, an employee was exposed to continuous noise levels at 76.7% of the permissible daily noise exposure or an equivalent sound level of approximately 88 dBA during the  510-minute sampling period.

Issued

May 26, 2023

Abate by

Jan 30, 2025

Penalty

Initial $8,036 · Current $4,018 Reduced

General-duty citation text

29 CFR  1910.132(d)(1): The employer did not assess the workplace to determine if hazards are present, or are likely to be present, which necessitate the use of personal protective equipment (PPE):   On or about December 1, 2022, employees cleaning the mixer were not protected from hazards such as but not limited to the overhead sharp blades of the concrete mixer.

Issued

May 26, 2023

Abate by

Jan 30, 2025

Penalty

Initial $14,063 · Current $7,032 Reduced

Hazardous substances S900

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:  On or about December 1, 2022, inside of the brick plant, employees were required to wear 3M N95 filtering facepiece and half-mask respirators.  The employer did not have a written respiratory protection program.

Issued

May 26, 2023

Abate by

Jan 30, 2025

Penalty

Initial $0 · Current $0

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:   On or about December 1, 2022, employees required to use N95 filtering facepiece respirators were not medically evaluated prior to use.

Issued

May 26, 2023

Abate by

Jan 30, 2025

Penalty

Initial $0 · Current $0

Hazardous substances S900

General-duty citation text

29 CFR  1910.134(f)(2):  Employee(s) using tight-fitting facepiece respirators were not fit tested prior to initial use of the respirator:  On or about December 1, 2022, inside of the brick plant, employees were exposed to silica dust while making Winter ice bricks and cleaning the dust from the mixer and floors are required to wear 3M N95 filtering facepiece and half-mask respirators were not fit tested prior to initial use.

Issued

May 26, 2023

Abate by

Jan 30, 2025

Penalty

Initial $14,063 · Current $7,032 Reduced

Hazardous substances 9000

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1910.146(c)(4): When the employer decided that its employees would enter permit spaces, the employer did not develop and implement a written permit space entry program that complied with 29 CFR 1910.146:   On December 1, 2022, employees entered a concrete mixer containing moving and rotating parts for cleaning purposes.  Entry procedures for the mixer had not been implemented.

Issued

May 26, 2023

Abate by

Jan 30, 2025

Penalty

Initial $14,063 · Current $7,032 Reduced

General-duty citation text

29 CFR  1910.178(l)(1)(i): The employer did not ensure that each powered industrial truck operator is competent to operate a powered industrial truck safely, as demonstrated by the successful completion of the training and evaluation specified in this paragraph (l):   On or about December 1, 2022, employees are authorized to drive the forklift while moving pallets of bricks without any certification, training or evaluation.

Issued

May 26, 2023

Abate by

Jan 30, 2025

Penalty

Initial $6,026 · Current $3,013 Reduced

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1910.215(b)(9): Guard for abrasive wheel machine where the operator stands in front of the machine was not constructed so that the peripheral protecting member could be adjusted to the constantly decreasing diameter of the wheel:  On or about December 21, 2022,  at the warehouse area, employees used a bench grinder (Dayton 8) that lacked a tongue guard on its right side.

Issued

May 26, 2023

Abate by

Jan 30, 2025

Penalty

Initial $8,036 · Current $4,018 Reduced

Hazardous substances X100

General-duty citation text

29 CFR  1910.253(b)(4)(iii): Oxygen cylinders in storage were not separated from fuel-gas cylinders or combustible materials (especially oil or grease), a minimum distance of 20 feet:  On or about December 21, 2022, on the north side of the warehouse near the hydraulic drums, volatile and reactive gas cylinders such as but not limited to oxygen and acetylene were stored less than 3-feet apart.

Issued

May 26, 2023

Abate by

Feb 12, 2025

Penalty

Initial $14,063 · Current $7,032 Reduced

Hazardous substances 9000

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1910.1053(d)(1): 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) or the scheduled monitoring option in paragraph (d)(3) of this section:  On or about December 1, 2022, employees using a pneumatic tool to clean aggregate buildup from the mixer blades and sides was exposed to respirable crystalline silica dust levels of 24.0 ug/m3 for 444 minutes for an 8-hour time weighted average in the elements of their breathing zone.

Issued

May 26, 2023

Abate by

Jan 30, 2025

Penalty

Initial $14,063 · Current $7,032 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:  On December 1, 2022, employees worked around a variety of hazardous material including but not limited to oxygen, acetylene, propane, Portland cement, sand and greases.  A written hazard communication program had not been developed to promote the safe handling, storage and use of the hazardous chemical products.

Issued

May 26, 2023

Abate by

Jan 30, 2025

Penalty

Initial $0 · Current $0

Hazardous substances 9000X100

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1910.1200(g)(1): Employers did not have a safety data sheet in the workplace for each hazardous chemical which they use:  a) On or about December 1, 2022, employees used hazardous chemical products including, but not limited to oxygen, acetylene, propane, Portland cement, sand and greases.  Safety data sheets were not available.

Issued

May 26, 2023

Abate by

Jan 30, 2025

Penalty

Initial $0 · Current $0

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:  On or about December 1, 2022, employees used hazardous chemicals including, but not limited to oxygen, acetylene, propane, Portland cement, sand and greases and were not provided with training and information of the specific hazards of the chemicals and their proper use storage, and handling.