OSHA Inspection: PROTEC POWDERCOATING L.LC.

Issued

Oct 23, 2023

Abate by

Jan 5, 2024

Penalty

Initial $2,009 · Current $1,205 Reduced

General-duty citation text

29 CFR  1910.134(c)(2)(ii):The employer did not establish and implement those elements of a written program necessary to ensure that any employee using a respirator voluntarily was medically able to use that respirator, and that the respirator was cleaned, stored, and maintained so that its use does not present a health hazard to the user:  a. Production Area: On or about June 21, 2023,  the employer exposed employees to respiratory hazards, in that employees voluntarily wore half-faced respirators in the workplace but the employer failed to establish and implement a written respiratory protection program with worksite-specific procedures.

Issued

Oct 23, 2023

Abate by

Jan 5, 2024

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. Production Area: On or about June 21, 2023, the employer exposed employees to respiratory hazards, in that the employer allowed the use of tight fitting elastomeric respirators by employees without first providing a medical evaluation to determine if the employees were able to wear a respirator or not.   b. Sandblasting Area:  On or about June 21, 2023, the employer exposed an employee to respiratory hazards, in that the employer required the use of a supplied airline respirator by an employee without first providing a medical evaluation to determine if the employee was able to wear a respirator or not.

Issued

Oct 23, 2023

Abate by

Jan 5, 2024

Penalty

Initial $0 · Current $0

Hazardous substances 9000

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. Sandblasting Area: On or about June 21, 2023, the employer exposed an employee to respiratory hazards, in that sandblaster was required to wear the NOVA 2000 blasting respirator helmet while sandblasting metal parts and had not received respirator training.

Issued

Oct 23, 2023

Abate by

Jan 5, 2024

Penalty

Initial $0 · Current $0

General-duty citation text

29 CFR  1910.134(k)(6): The employer did not provide the basic advisory information on respirators, as presented in Appendix D of 29 CFR 1910.134, in written or oral format to employees who wear respirators when such use was not required by the employer:   a. Production Area: On or about June 21, 2023, the employer exposed employees to respiratory hazards, in that employees who voluntarily wore the NIOSH-approved 3M Half facepiece respirators throughout the powder coating spray booth area during routine production had not received respirator training prior to initial use of the respirators.

Issued

Oct 23, 2023

Abate by

Jan 5, 2024

Penalty

Initial $3,349 · Current $2,009 Reduced

Hazardous substances 9000

General-duty citation text

29 CFR  1910.1053(c):Permissible exposure limit (PEL). The employer shall ensure that no employee is exposed to an airborne concentration of respirable crystalline silica in excess of 50 ug/m3, calculated as an 8-hour TWA.  a. Sandblasting Area:  On July 25, 2023, the employer exposed an employee to an 8-hour calculated Time Weighted Average (TWA) of 113.9 micrograms per cubic meter of air which is 2.28 times the calculated 8-hour time weighted average Permissible Exposure Level (PEL) of 50.0 micrograms per cubic meter of air while prepping metal materials to be powder coated. Results were calculated based on the 130-minute sampling period.

Issued

Oct 23, 2023

Penalty

Initial $0 · Current $0

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:  a. Sandblasting Area: On or about June 21, 2023, the employer exposed employees to hazards associated with respirable crystalline silica, in that the employer did not perform an initial monitoring to assess the exposure for each employee that would be potentially exposed to respirable crystalline silica.

Issued

Oct 23, 2023

Abate by

Jan 5, 2024

Penalty

Initial $0 · Current $0

Hazardous substances 9000

General-duty citation text

29 CFR  1910.1053(e)(1):The employer did not establish a regulated area wherever an employee's exposure to airborne concentrations of respirable crystalline silica was, or could have been reasonably expected to be, in excess of the PEL:  a. Sandblasting Area: A sandblaster was exposed to Respirable Crystalline Silica at a time weighted average (TWA) of 113.9 micrograms per cubic meter (ug/m3), 2.3 times the permissible exposure limit of 50.0 (ug/m3). The sampling was performed for 195 minutes on July 25, 2023. The employer did not establish a regulated area.

Issued

Oct 23, 2023

Abate by

Jan 5, 2024

Penalty

Initial $0 · Current $0

Hazardous substances 9000

General-duty citation text

29 CFR  1910.1053(f)(2)(i): The employer did not establish and implement a written exposure control plan:   a. Sandblasting Area: On or about June 21, 2023, the employer exposed employees to hazards associated with respirable crystalline silica, in that the employer did not develop or implement a written exposure control plan to limit employee exposure to respirable crystalline silica.

Issued

Oct 23, 2023

Abate by

Jan 5, 2024

Penalty

Initial $0 · Current $0

Hazardous substances 9000

General-duty citation text

29 CFR  1910.1053(g)(2):Respiratory protection program. Where respirator use is required by this section, the employer shall institute a respiratory protection program in accordance with 29 CFR 1910.134.  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. Sandblasting Area: On or about June 21, 2023, the employer exposed employees to respiratory hazards, in that the employer required employees sandblasting to use a  NOVA 2000 respirator with supplied air without first developing and implementing a written respirator program specific to sandblasting operations.

Issued

Oct 23, 2023

Abate by

Jan 5, 2024

Penalty

Initial $0 · Current $0

Hazardous substances 9000

General-duty citation text

29 CFR  1910.1053(i)(1)(i): The employer did not make medical surveillance available at no cost to each employee, and at a reasonable time and place, for each employee who has been occupationally exposed to respirable crystalline silica at or above the action level for 30 or more days per year:   a.	Sandblasting Area: On or about June 21, 2023, the employer exposed employees to hazards associated with respirable crystalline silica, in that the employer did not make available medical examinations to determine baseline exposure to employees that would be potentially exposed to respirable crystalline silica.

Issued

Oct 23, 2023

Abate by

Jan 5, 2024

Penalty

Initial $2,009 · Current $1,205 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. Production Area: On or about June 21, 2023, the employer exposed employees to hazardous chemicals such as but not limited to titanium dioxide, aluminum hydroxide, Quartz, and Zircon, in that a written hazard communication program was not developed and implemented.

Issued

Oct 23, 2023

Penalty

Initial $0 · Current $0

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. Production Area: On or about June 21, 2023, the employer exposed employee to hazardous chemicals that include quarts, Zircon, titanium dioxide, and aluminum hydroxide , without maintaining safety data sheets on these chemicals as required by the standard.

Issued

Oct 23, 2023

Abate by

Jan 5, 2024

Penalty

Initial $0 · Current $0

Hazardous substances 24402620A100C120

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. Production Area:  On or about June 21, 2023, the employer exposed employees to hazardous chemicals such as but not limited to titanium dioxide, aluminum hydroxide, quartz,  and zircon without providing effective training on these hazardous chemicals.

Issued

Oct 23, 2023

Abate by

Jan 5, 2024

Penalty

Initial $0 · Current $0

Hazardous substances 9000

General-duty citation text

29 CFR  1910.1053(j)(1): The employer did not ensure that each employee was trained in accordance with the provisions of HCS and paragraph (j)(3) of this section:   a. Sandblasting Area: On or about June 21, 2023 and at time prior, the employer exposed an employee to respirable crystalline silica in that the employer failed to provide training to the employee on the health hazards associated with exposure to respirable crystalline silica while blasting different times of metals.