OSHA Inspection: IBC ENGINEERED MATERIALS INC

Issued

Sep 27, 2023

Abate by

May 10, 2024

Penalty

Initial $6,250 · Current $3,000 Reduced

Hazardous substances 0365

General-duty citation text

29 CFR  1910.1024(c)(1):The employer did not ensure that no employee was exposed to an airborne concentration of beryllium in excess of 0.2 �g/m3 calculated as an 8-hour TWA:  Location: foundry and grinding room  a) On or about 5/11/2023, an employee conducting handheld grinding and parts fabrication on beryllium aerospace components was exposed to an 8-hour time weighted average (TWA) of 16 ug/m3 approximately 79 times the Permissible Exposure Limit (PEL) of 0.2 ug/m3. The exposure level was calculated from a sample collected over a 435-minute sampling period with zero exposure assumed for the unsampled period.    b) On or about 5/11/2023, an employee conducting handheld grinding and parts fabrication on beryllium aerospace components was exposed to an 8-hour time weighted average (TWA) of 4.344 ug/m3 approximately 21.72 times the Permissible Exposure Limit (PEL) of 0.2 ug/m3. The exposure level was calculated from a sample collected over a 170-minute sampling period with zero exposure assumed for the unsampled period.  c) On or about 6/8/2023, an employee conducting handheld grinding operations and parts fabrication on beryllium aerospace components was exposed to an 8-hour time weighted average (TWA) of 15 ug/m3 approximately 75.3 times the Permissible Exposure Limit (PEL) of 0.2 ug/m3. The exposure level was calculated from a sample collected over a 333-minute sampling period with zero exposure assumed for the unsampled period.  d) On or about 6/8/2023, an employee conducting handheld grinding operation and parts fabrication on beryllium aerospace components was exposed to an 8-hour time weighted average (TWA) of 65 ug/m3 approximately 326.889 times the Permissible Exposure Limit (PEL) of 0.2 ug/m3. The exposure level was calculated from a sample collected over a 317-minute sampling period with zero exposure assumed for the unsampled period.  e) On or about 6/8/2023, an employee conducting handheld grinding operations and parts fabrication on beryllium aerospace components was exposed to an 8-hour time weighted average (TWA) of 150 ug/m3 approximately 734.488 times the Permissible Exposure Limit (PEL) of 0.2 ug/m3. The exposure level was calculated from a sample collected over a 316-minute sampling period with zero exposure assumed for the unsampled period

Issued

Sep 27, 2023

Abate by

May 10, 2024

Penalty

Initial $6,250 · Current $3,000 Reduced

Hazardous substances 0365

General-duty citation text

29 CFR  1910.1024(c)(2): The employer did not ensure that no employee was exposed to an airborne concentration of beryllium in excess of 2.0 �g/m3 as determined over a sampling period of 15 minutes:   Location: Grinding room  a) On or about 5/11/2023, an employee  conducting handheld grinding and parts fabrication on beryllium aerospace components was exposed to OSHA Short-Term Exposure Limit (STEL) of 23ug/m3 which is approximately 116 times the OSHA Short-Term Exposure Limit (STEL) of 2.0 ug/m3.   b) On or about 5/11/2023, an employee  conducting handheld grinding and parts fabrication on beryllium aerospace components was exposed to OSHA Short-Term Exposure Limit (STEL) of 700ug/m3 which is approximately 350 times the OSHA Short-Term Exposure Limit (STEL) of 2.0 ug/m3.   c)  On or about 6/8/2023, an employee conducting handheld grinding and parts fabrication on beryllium aerospace components was exposed to OSHA Short-Term Exposure Limit (STEL) of 104ug/m3 which is approximately 52 times the OSHA Short-Term Exposure Limit (STEL) of 2.0 ug/m3.

Issued

Sep 27, 2023

Abate by

Dec 15, 2023

Penalty

Initial $6,250 · Current $3,000 Reduced

Hazardous substances 0365

General-duty citation text

29 CFR  1910.1024(d)(3)(vi): Where the most recent exposure monitoring indicated that airborne exposure was above the TWA PEL, the employer did not repeat such monitoring within three months of the most recent 8-hour TWA exposure monitoring:   Location: Foundry and grinding room  On or about 6/8/2023, follow up exposure monitoring for personal exposures to beryllium was not conducted within three months of recent beryllium exposure monitoring which occurred 8/12/2022 and reported 8-hour time weighted average (TWA) exposures above the OSHA Permissible Exposure Limit.

Issued

Sep 27, 2023

Abate by

May 10, 2024

Penalty

Initial $6,250 · Current $3,000 Reduced

Hazardous substances 0365

General-duty citation text

29 CFR  1910.1024(f)(1)(i):  The employer did not establish, implement, and maintain a written exposure control plan:   Location: foundry and grinding room  On or about 6/8/2023, the facility exposure control plan was not adequately implemented to minimize employee exposures to beryllium.

Issued

Sep 27, 2023

Abate by

May 10, 2024

Penalty

Initial $6,250 · Current $4,000 Reduced

Hazardous substances 0365

General-duty citation text

29 CFR  1910.1024(f)(2)(i): The employer did not use engineering and/or work practice controls to the extent that such controls were feasible to reduce and/or maintain employee airborne exposure to or below the PEL and STEL:   Location: foundry and grinding room  On or about 6/8/2023, engineering controls such as designated beryllium grinding booths and work practice controls such as, but not limited to, housekeeping procedures, change room procedures, and beryllium contaminated trash disposal procedures, were inadequate in reducing employee airborne exposures to beryllium to or below the permissible exposure limit (PEL) and short term exposure limit (STEL).

Issued

Sep 27, 2023

Abate by

Dec 15, 2023

Penalty

Initial $6,250 · Current $0 Reduced

Hazardous substances 0365

General-duty citation text

29 CFR  1910.1024(j)(1)(i): The employer did not maintain all surfaces in beryllium work areas and regulated areas as free as practicable of beryllium and in accordance with the written exposure control plan required under paragraph (f)(1) and the cleaning methods required under paragraph (j)(2) of this standard:   Location: Grinding room  On or about 6/8/2023, handheld grinding workbench surfaces were not kept as free as practicable of beryllium.

Issued

Sep 27, 2023

Abate by

Mar 1, 2024

Penalty

Initial $6,250 · Current $4,000 Reduced

Hazardous substances 0365

General-duty citation text

29 CFR  1910.1024(h)(2)(iii): The employer did not ensure that each employee stored and kept beryllium-contaminated personal protective clothing and equipment separate from street clothing, and that storage facilities prevented cross-contamination, as specified in the written exposure control plan required by paragraph (f)(1) of this standard:   Location: Foundry   On or about 5/11/2023, employees stored beryllium contaminated PPE coveralls inside personal lockers, which also stored street clothes. A storage facility and locker room was not designed to prevent cross-contamination.

Issued

Sep 27, 2023

Abate by

Mar 1, 2024

Penalty

Initial $6,250 · Current $0 Reduced

Hazardous substances 0365

General-duty citation text

29 CFR  1910.1024(h)(3)(i): The employer did not ensure that all reusable personal protective clothing and equipment required by this standard was cleaned, laundered, repaired, and replaced as needed to maintain its effectiveness:  Location: Locker change room  On or about 6/24/2023, reused and laundered work personal protective coveralls were ineffective and contaminated with beryllium.

Issued

Sep 27, 2023

Abate by

Feb 16, 2024

Penalty

Initial $6,250 · Current $0 Reduced

Hazardous substances 0365

General-duty citation text

29 CFR  1910.1024(i)(2): The employer did not provide employees who are required to use personal protective clothing or equipment under paragraph (h)(1)(ii) of this standard with a designated change room in accordance with this standard and the Sanitation standard (� 1910.141), in addition to the requirements of paragraph (i)(1)(i) of this standard, where employees are required to remove their personal clothing.   Location: Locker change room  On or about 6/8/2023, employees required to change into personal protective equipment (PPE) such as work coveralls were not provided an adequate change room.

Issued

Sep 27, 2023

Abate by

Nov 15, 2023

Penalty

Initial $6,250 · Current $1,800 Reduced

Hazardous substances 0365

General-duty citation text

29 CFR  1910.1024(j)(3)(i): Materials designated for disposal that contained or were contaminated with beryllium were not disposed of in sealed, impermeable enclosures, such as bags or containers, that were labeled in accordance with paragraph (m)(3) of this standard:    Location: Grinding room  On or about 6/8/2023, rags, nitrile gloves, paper towels, and other items contaminated with beryllium contaminated was disposed in open top trash containers.

Issued

Sep 27, 2023

Abate by

Nov 15, 2023

Penalty

Initial $6,250 · Current $1,800 Reduced

Hazardous substances 0365

General-duty citation text

29 CFR  1910.1024(k)(2)(ii):The employer did not provide a medical examination at least every two years to the employee who continued to meet the criteria of paragraph (k)(1)(i)(A), (B), or (D) of this standard:   Location: Grinding room  On or about 6/8/2023, an employee engaged in beryllium parts fabrication was over-exposed to both the OSHA permissible exposure limit (PEL) and short-term exposure limit (STEL) and was not provided a medical evaluation every 2 years.

Issued

Sep 27, 2023

Abate by

Dec 15, 2023

Penalty

Initial $501 · Current $0 Reduced

Hazardous substances 0365

General-duty citation text

29 CFR  1910.1024(m)(2)(ii)(B): The employer did not ensure each warning sign required by paragraph (m)(2)(i) of this standard bore the following legend: DANGER REGULATED AREA BERYLLIUM MAY CAUSE CANCER CAUSES DAMAGE TO LUNGS AUTHORIZED PERSONNEL ONLY WEAR RESPIRATORY PROTECTION AND PERSONAL PROTECTIVE CLOTHING AND EQUIPMENT IN THIS AREA   Location: Foundry   On or about 5/11/2023, a warning sign was not posted bearing the legend: DANGER REGULATED AREA BERYLLIUM MAY CAUSE CANCER CAUSES DAMAGE TO LUNGS AUTHORIZED PERSONNEL ONLY WEAR RESPIRATORY PROTECTION AND PERSONAL PROTECTIVE CLOTHING AND EQUIPMENT IN THIS AREA at the entrance of the foundry regulated work areas where employee exposures to beryllium exceeded the permissible exposure limit (PEL) and Short-term exposure limit (STEL).