OSHA Inspection: A.W. ROSS, INC.

Issued

Jun 16, 2023

Abate by

Aug 4, 2023

Penalty

Initial $4,688 · Current $2,532 Reduced

Hazardous substances E200W103

General-duty citation text

OSH ACT of 1970 Section (5)(a)(1): The employer did not furnish employment and a place of employment which were free from recognized hazards that were causing or likely to cause death or serious physical harm to employees in that employees were exposed to dust deflagration, explosion, or other fire hazard:  a) Wood Shop: On or about 12/21/22, employees engaged in wood working operations were exposed to fire, and explosion hazards, from accumulations of explosive wood dust, present on and around wood working equipment, and on horizontal surfaces, produced from cutting plywood. The wood dust was collected to determine explosivity. Test results show that the sampled dust is a combustible Class II dust, and is explosive, with a Kst of 24.44 bar*meters/second. The explosion severity of  0.94 is above 0.5.

Issued

Jun 16, 2023

Penalty

Initial $4,688 · Current $2,532 Reduced

Hazardous substances E101E200W103

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:   a) Wood Shop: Explosive wood dust with a Kst of 24.44 bar meter/second, accumulated on disconnect switch boxes, electrical panel boxes, overhead piping, overhead florescent lighting, electrical outlets, and on and around wood working equipment, including enclosureless dust collectors. The employer did not ensure that the work area was kept free of dust accumulations from wood working equipment, on or about 12/21/22.

Issued

Jun 16, 2023

Penalty

Initial $0 · Current $0

Hazardous substances E101E200M104W103

General-duty citation text

29 CFR  1910.22(a)(2): The employer did not ensure that the floor of each workroom is maintained in a clean and, to the extent feasible, in a dry condition:  a) Wood Shop: Explosive wood dust with a Kst of 24.44 bar meter/second, accumulated on the shop floor. The employer did not ensure that the work area was kept free of dust accumulations from wood working equipment, thus exposing employees to fire and explosion hazards, on or about 12/21/22.

Issued

Jun 16, 2023

Penalty

Initial $2,679 · Current $1,467 Reduced

General-duty citation text

29 CFR  1910.22(a)(3): The employer did not ensure that walking-working surfaces are maintained free of hazards such as sharp or protruding objects, loose boards, corrosion, leaks, spills, snow, and ice.  a) Wood Shop: Employees were exposed to trip, slip, and fall hazards, from plywood and other wood materials used to make decorative cabinets and doors, were stored on the shop floor. The employer did not ensure that walking-working surfaces were maintained free of hazards, thus exposing employees to a fall hazard, on or about 12/21/22.

Issued

Jun 16, 2023

Abate by

Jul 7, 2023

Penalty

Initial $2,009 · Current $1,085 Reduced

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:  a) Plant-Wide: Employees were required to wear 3M N95 filtering facepiece respirators and 3M elastomeric half-mask dual cartridge respirators. The employer did not develop and implement a written respiratory protection program for required use of respiratory protection, on or about 12/21/22.

Issued

Jun 16, 2023

Penalty

Initial $0 · Current $0

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:  a) Plant-Wide: Employees were required to wear 3M N95 filtering facepiece respirators and 3M elastomeric half-mask dual cartridge respirators, and were not medically evaluated prior to wearing respiratory protection. The employer did not provide medical evaluation to determine the employee's ability to use a respirator prior to using respiratory protection, on or about 12/21/ 22.

Issued

Jun 16, 2023

Penalty

Initial $0 · Current $0

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:  a) Plant-Wide: Employees were required to wear 3M N95 filtering facepiece respirators and 3M elastomeric half-mask dual cartridge respirators, and were not fit-tested. The employer did not ensure that affected employees were fit-tested prior to initial use of respiratory protection, on or about 12/21/22.

Issued

Jun 16, 2023

Penalty

Initial $0 · Current $0

General-duty citation text

29 CFR  1910.134(k)(3): Training was not provided prior to requiring employees to use a respirator in the workplace:  a) Plant-Wide: Employees were required to wear 3M N95 filtering facepiece respirators and 3M elastomeric half-mask dual cartridge respirators, and were not trained on use, maintenance, and limitation of using respiratory protection. The employer did not provide respiratory protection training prior to allowing employees to wear respirators in the workplace, on or about 12/21/22.

Issued

Jun 16, 2023

Abate by

Jul 7, 2023

Penalty

Initial $2,009 · Current $1,085 Reduced

Hazardous substances E101M110

General-duty citation text

29 CFR  1910.145(c)(3):Safety instruction sign(s) were not used where there was a need for general instructions and suggestions relative to safety measure(s):  a) Wood Shop: Safety instruction signs, warning of a combustible dust hazard, were not posted at the entrance to the wood shop, on or about 12/21/22.

Issued

Jun 16, 2023

Penalty

Initial $4,688 · Current $2,532 Reduced

General-duty citation text

29 CFR  1910.147(c)(1): The employer did not establish a program consisting of an energy control procedure, employee training and periodic inspections to ensure that before any employee performed any servicing or maintenance on a machine or equipment where the unexpected energizing, startup or release of stored energy could occur and cause injury, the machine or equipment shall be isolated from the energy source and rendered inoperative:  a) Wood Shop: Employees are required to perform maintenance and adjustments on machines, including, but not limited to, Omal Hinge boring machine, Powermatic 10" table saw, Robland Z320 table saw, Unisaw 10" right tilting arbor saw, and a Wadkin Bursgreen table saw. The employer did not establish a program, consisting of energy control procedures, employee training and periodic inspections, thus exposing employees to an amputation hazard, on or about 12/21/22.

Issued

Jun 16, 2023

Abate by

Aug 4, 2023

Penalty

Initial $2,009 · Current $1,085 Reduced

General-duty citation text

29 CFR  1910.157(g)(1): An educational program was not provided for all employees to familiarize them with the general principles of fire extinguisher use and the hazards involved with incipient stage fire fighting:  a) Plant-Wide: The employer did not provide an educational training program for employees, which covered the general principles of fire extinguisher use and the hazards involved with incipient stage fire fighting, on or about 12/21/22.

Issued

Jun 16, 2023

Penalty

Initial $2,679 · Current $1,467 Reduced

General-duty citation text

29 CFR  1910.303(b)(7)(i): Unused opening in electrical cabinets were not effectively closed provide substantially equivalent protection to the equipment:  a) Spray finishing: An electrical panel box used to power lights and the spray finishing both, had unused openings, thus exposing employees to an electrical shock hazard, on or about 12/21/22.

Issued

Jun 16, 2023

Abate by

Aug 4, 2023

Penalty

Initial $4,688 · Current $2,532 Reduced

Hazardous substances E101E200W103

General-duty citation text

29 CFR  1910.307(c): Equipment, wiring methods, and installations of equipment in hazardous (classified) locations were not intrinsically safe, approved for the hazardous (classified) location, or safe for the hazardous (classified) location:  a) Wood Shop: Electrical equipment including, but not limited to, overhead florescent lighting, electrical panel boxes, circuit breaker panels, ceiling heating units, disconnect switch boxes and electrical outlets, located in Class II, Division 1 locations, was not intrinsically safe for a Class II, Division 1 location, on or about 12/21/22.

Issued

Jun 16, 2023

Penalty

Initial $3,349 · Current $1,808 Reduced

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:  a) Plant-Wide: Employees were required to work with hazardous chemicals and substances, including, but not limited to, combustible dust (explosive wood dust with Kst=24.44 bar*meters/second), Aqua-Magic BSD-613, Akzo catalyst, Akzo E-Var 80 low gloss, Wurth mid-temp thinner, Sherwood Kemvar reducer, Sherwood Kemvar conversion varnish, Sherwood varnish sealer, Sherwood vinyl basecoat, and Sherwin Williams Kemvar 80 series varnish. The employer did not develop and implement a written hazard communication program, thus exposing employees to chemical hazards, on or about 12/21/22.

Issued

Jun 16, 2023

Penalty

Initial $0 · Current $0

Hazardous substances E200W103

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:  a) Plant-Wide: Employees were required to work with hazardous chemicals and substances, including, but not limited to, plywood, laminate, melamine, Aqua-Magic BSD-613, Akzo catalyst, Akzo E-Var 80 low gloss, Wurth mid-temp thinner, Sherwood Kemvar reducer, Sherwood Kemvar conversion varnish, Sherwood varnish sealer, Sherwood vinyl basecoat, and Sherwin Williams Kemvar 80 series varnish, and the employer did not provide compliant GHS safety data sheets, on or about 12/21/22.

Issued

Jun 16, 2023

Penalty

Initial $0 · Current $0

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:  a) Plant-Wide: Employees were required to work with hazardous chemicals and substances, including, but not limited to, combustible dust (wood dust), Aqua-Magic BSD-613, Akzo catalyst, Akzo E-Var 80 low gloss, Wurth mid-temp thinner, Sherwood Kemvar reducer, Sherwood Kemvar conversion varnish, Sherwood varnish sealer, Sherwood vinyl basecoat, and Sherwin Williams Kemvar 80 series varnish, and had not completed training on hazardous chemicals. The employer did not provide training on the health effects and safe methods to use when working with hazardous chemicals and substances, on or about 12/21/22.

Issued

Jun 16, 2023

Penalty

Initial $0 · Current $0

General-duty citation text

29 CFR  1910.1200(h)(3)(ii): Employee training did not include the physical and health hazards of the chemicals in the work area:  a) Wood Shop: Employees were required to work with hazardous substances, including, but not limited to, plywood, laminate wood, particleboard, and melamine wood. The employer did not provide training on the physical and health effects of working with combustible material, including, but not limited to plywood, laminate, melamine wood, on or about 12/21/22.

Issued

Jun 16, 2023

Penalty

Initial $31,252 · Current $16,878 Reduced

General-duty citation text

29 CFR  1910.213(c)(1): Circular handfed ripsaw(s) were not guarded by an automatically adjusting hood which completely enclosed that portion of the saw above the table and above the material being cut:  a) Wood Shop: Employees were using a Wadkin Bursgreen table saw to cut wood, including, but not limited to, laminate wood, plywood and melamine wood, and the portion of the saw blade above the table was unguarded. The employer did not ensure that the portion of the saw above the table saw was provided with guarding, thus exposing employees to an amputation hazard, on or about 12/21/22.  b) Wood Shop: Employees were using a Robland Z320 table saw to cut wood, including, but not limited to, laminate wood, plywood and melamine wood, and the portion of the saw blade above the table was unguarded. The employer did not ensure that the portion of the saw above the table saw was provided with guarding, thus exposing employees to an amputation hazard, on or about 12/21/22.

Issued

Jun 16, 2023

Abate by

Jul 7, 2023

Penalty

Initial $0 · Current $0

General-duty citation text

29 CFR  1910.107(g)(7): NO SMOKING signs in large letters on contrasting color background were not conspicuously posted at all spraying areas and paint storage rooms:  a) Spray Finishing Shop: Employees required to conduct spray finishing of decorative cabinets and doors, were using highly flammable category 1 spray finishing chemicals. The employer did not post , "No Smoking "signs in the spray finishing area, on or about 12/21/22.

Issued

Jun 16, 2023

Abate by

Jul 7, 2023

Penalty

Initial $0 · Current $0

General-duty citation text

29 CFR  1910.107(b)(5)(i):The average air speed over the open face of the paint spray booth was less than 100 linear feet per minute:  a) Spray Finishing Shop: Employees were required to conduct spray finishing inside an open face booth and the air speed over the face of the booth measured 96 linear feet per minute. The employer did not ensure that the average air speed across the face of the open face spray painting booth was less than 100 linear feet per minute, on or about 12/21/22.