OSHA Inspection: TUFCO LP

Issued

Feb 6, 2024

Abate by

Mar 6, 2024

Penalty

Initial $16,131 · Current $8,066 Reduced

General-duty citation text

29 CFR  1910.147(c)(4)(i): Procedures shall be developed, documented and utilized for the control of potentially hazardous energy when employees are engaged in the activities covered by this section.  Note: Exception: The employer need not document the required procedure for a particular machine or equipment, when all of the following elements exist: (1) The machine or equipment has no potential for stored or residual energy or reaccumulation of stored energy after shut down which could endanger employees; (2) the machine or equipment has a single energy source which can be readily identified and isolated; (3) the isolation and locking out of that energy source will completely deenergize and deactivate the machine or equipment; (4) the machine or equipment is isolated from that energy source and locked out during servicing or maintenance; (5) a single lockout device will achieve a locker-out condition; (6) the lockout device is under the exclusive control of the authorized employee performing the servicing or maintenance; (7) the servicing or maintenance does not create hazards for other employees; and (8) the employer, in utilizing this exception, has had no accidents involving the unexpected activation or reenergization of the machine or equipment during servicing or maintenance.  On or about August 25, 2023, with regard to an establishment located at 3161 S Ridge Road, Green Bay, WI 54313,  the employer did not ensure that written hazardous energy control procedures had been developed, documented and utilized prior to allowing employees working on the Scent Bead lines to engage in service and maintenance tasks.

Issued

Feb 6, 2024

Penalty

Initial $0 · Current $0

General-duty citation text

29 CFR  1910.147(c)(7)(iii)(A): Retraining shall be provided for all authorized and affected employees whenever there is a change in their job assignments, a change in machines, equipment or processes that present a new hazard, or when there is a change in the energy control procedures.   On or about August 25, 2023, with regard to an establishment located at 3161 S Ridge Road, Green Bay, WI 54313,  the employer did not ensure that employees assigned to the Scent Bead lines had been trained in energy control procedures prior to allowing them to complete service and maintenance tasks on the lines.

Issued

Feb 6, 2024

Penalty

Initial $16,131 · Current $8,066 Reduced

General-duty citation text

29 CFR  1910.147(d): The established procedure for the application of energy control (the lockout or tagout procedures) did not cover the actions listed in and was not done in sequence as required by 29 CFR 1910.147(d)(1)-(6):  a) On or about August 18th, 2023, employees were exposed to machine hazards associated with moving parts when they engaged in cleaning activities on the Scent Bead Blend System.  The employer did not ensure that employees implemented energy control application steps or equivalent protective measures prior to allowing them to disassemble the lower portion of the blend system to remove hardened wax.  The machine was not deenergized prior to the employee engaging in the servicing / maintenance activity.  b) On and before August 25th, 2023, employees were exposed to machine hazards associated with moving parts when they engaged in cleaning activities on the Scent Bead Blend System.  The employer did not ensure that employees implemented energy control application steps or equivalent protective measures prior to allowing them to disassemble the lower portion of the blend system to remove hardened wax.  The machine was not deenergized prior to the employee engaging in the servicing / maintenance activity.  c) On or about August 25th, 2023, employees were exposed to machine hazards associated with moving parts when they engaged in unjamming and re-threading on a Film Sealer for the dryer sheet line (FL-4).  The employer did not ensure that employees implemented energy control application steps or equivalent protective measures prior to allowing them to remove a guard to while unjamming and re-threading the film sealer.  The machine was not deenergized prior to the employee engaging in the servicing / maintenance activity.  As a result, the remaining applicable energy control elements, involving machine isolation [1910.147(d)(3)], lockout/tagout device application [1910.147(d)(4)], dissipation of residual energy [1910(d)(5)(i)], and verification of isolation [1910.147(d)(6)] were not implemented to protect employees from machine hazards.

Issued

Feb 6, 2024

Penalty

Initial $12,676 · Current $6,338 Reduced

General-duty citation text

29 CFR  1910.212(a)(1):Types of guarding. One or more methods of machine guarding shall be provided to protect the operator and other employees in the machine area from hazards such as those created by point of operation, ingoing nip points, rotating parts, flying chips and sparks. Examples of guarding methods are-barrier guards, two-hand tripping devices, electronic safety devices, etc.  On and before August 25, 2023, with regard to an establishment located at 3161 S Ridge Road, Green Bay, WI 54313, employees operating the granulators on Scent Bead Lines 1 & 2 were exposed to machine hazards when the hood guards over the granulator did not prevent access to the moving parts of the granulator and it's drive components.

Issued

Feb 6, 2024

Penalty

Initial $126,764 · Current $52,193 Reduced

General-duty citation text

29 CFR  1910.212(a)(3)(ii):The point of operation of machines whose operation exposes an employee to injury, shall be guarded. The guarding device shall be in conformity with any appropriate standards therefor, or, in the absence of applicable specific standards, shall be so designed and constructed as to prevent the operator from having any part of his body in the danger zone during the operating cycle.  On and before August 25, 2023, with regard to an establishment located at 3161 S Ridge Road, Green Bay, WI 54313, employees were exposed to potential struck-by and entanglement hazards when the point of operation on Lidder for Scent Bead 1 line was not guarded to prevent access during operation.   Tufco LP was previously cited for a Repeat violation of this occupational safety and health standard, which was contained in OSHA inspection number 1572151, citation number 2, item number 1 and was affirmed as a final order on May 12, 2022, with respect to a workplace located at 3161 S Ridge Road, Green Bay, WI 54313.  Tufco LP was previously cited for a Serious violation of this occupational safety and health standard, which was contained in OSHA inspection number 1350374, citation number 1, item number 1 and was affirmed as a final order on January 24, 2019, with respect to a workplace located at 3161 South Ridge Road, Green Bay, WI 54313.

Issued

Feb 6, 2024

Penalty

Initial $12,676 · Current $6,338 Reduced

General-duty citation text

29 CFR  1904.39(a)(2):Basic Requirement. Within twenty-four (24) hours after the in-patient hospitalization of one or more employees or an employee's amputation or an employee's loss of an eye, as a result of a work-related incident, you must report the in-patient hospitalization, amputation, or loss of an eye to OSHA.  On or about August 25, 2023, with regard to an establishment located at 3161 S Ridge Road, Green Bay, WI 54313,  the employer failed to report an amputation event that had occurred on the night of August 17, 2023.