OSHA Inspection: U.S. POSTAL SERVICE

Issued

May 10, 2024

Penalty

Initial $7,604 · Current $7,604

General-duty citation text

1910.22(a)(1): All places of employment, passageways, storerooms, service rooms, and walking-working surfaces are kept in a clean, orderly, and sanitary condition:  a. On or about April 10, 2024, and at times prior, the employer did not ensure that there was a safe means of access and egress to and from the walking-working surfaces of the A-1 line in the dock area in that there were boxes, pallets, and materials stored in the pathways. As a result, employees were exposed to slip, trip and fall hazards. � b. On or about November 29, 2023, and at times prior, the employer did not ensure that there was a safe means of access and egress to and from the walking-working surfaces of the F-1 line in the dock area in that there were pallets and boxes of mail and packages stored in the pathways.  As a result, employees were exposed to slip, trip and fall hazards.

Issued

May 10, 2024

Abate by

May 30, 2024

Penalty

Initial $12,676 · Current $16,131

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1910.147(c)(6)(i): The employer shall conduct a periodic inspection of the energy control procedure at least annually to ensure that the procedure and the requirements of this standard are being followed.  a. On or about December 28, 2023, and at times prior, the employer did not ensure that periodic inspections were conducted at least annually with authorized employees who performed maintenance and servicing covered tasks on machinery throughout the facility, including, but not limited to, the Maintenance Dock's LD 6000 XD/DUMPMASTER Cardboard Dumper and Galbreath Compactor 1 (CMP1). As a result, employees were exposed to hazards associated with maintenance and servicing covered tasks on the machinery.  b. On or about November 21, 2023, and at times prior, the employer did not ensure that periodic inspections were conducted at least annually with authorized employees who performed maintenance and servicing covered tasks on machinery throughout the facility, including, but not limited to, the Universal Sorter Machine. As a result, employees were exposed to hazards associated with maintenance and servicing covered tasks on the machinery.

Issued

May 10, 2024

Abate by

May 30, 2024

Penalty

Initial $12,676 · Current $16,131

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1910.147(d): Application of control. The established procedures for the application of energy control (the lockout or tagout procedures) shall cover the following elements and actions and shall be done in the following sequence:  a. On or about November 26, 2023, and at times prior, located on the Universal Sorter Machine by the carrousel, employees were exposed to machine hazards associated with being struck-by or caught-between the hazards of the tilt trays/carts while performing maintenance and servicing tasks such as, but not limited to, repairs and replacement of components on the tilt trays/carts. The employer did not implement energy control application steps as the machine and equipment was not isolated from its hazardous energy sources [(d)(3)]. As a result, the remaining applicable energy control elements, including lockout/tagout device application [(d)(4)], dissipation of residual and/or stored energy [(d)(5)(i)], and verification of isolation [(d)(6)], were not implemented to protect employees from machine servicing hazards.

Issued

May 10, 2024

Abate by

May 30, 2024

Penalty

Initial $0 · Current $0

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1910.333(b)(2): "Lockout and Tagging." While any employee is exposed to contact with parts of fixed electric equipment or circuits which have been deenergized, the circuits energizing the parts shall be locked out or tagged or both in accordance with the requirements of this paragraph. The requirements shall be followed in the order in which they are presented (i.e., paragraph (b)(2)(i) first, then paragraph (b)(2)(ii), etc.).  a. On or about December 28, 2023, and at times prior, located on the Maintenance Dock, an employee was exposed to electrical shock hazards associated with contact with electrical of 208 volts, struck-by hazards and caught-between hazards during maintenance and servicing tasks such as, but not limited to, servicing and repairing electrical equipment on the Haynes LD 6000 XD/Dumpmaster dumper. The employer did not implement energy control application steps as the Haynes 6000 XD/Dumpmaster and the adjacent Galbreath cardboard compactor were not isolated from their hazardous energy sources prior to performing the servicing and repair work [per the 1910.147(d)(3) requirements]. As a result, the remaining applicable energy control elements, including lockout/tagout device application [(d)(4)], dissipation of residual and/or stored energy [(d)(5)(i)], and verification of isolation [(d)(6)], were not implemented to protect employees from machine servicing hazards.

Issued

May 10, 2024

Abate by

May 30, 2024

Penalty

Initial $12,676 · Current $13,936

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.  a. On or about December 28, 2023, and at times prior, located in the Maintenance Dock area by Door 100, the employer did not ensure that the pinch point between the LD 6000 XD/DUMPMASTER cardboard dumper and the Galbreath Compactor 1 - CMP1 was adequately guarded. As a result, employees were exposed to struck-by and caught-between hazards.

Issued

May 10, 2024

Abate by

May 30, 2024

Penalty

Initial $12,676 · Current $13,936

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1910.147(c)(7)(iii)(B):  Additional retraining shall also be conducted whenever a periodic inspection under paragraph (c)(6) of this section reveals, or whenever the employer has reason to believe that there are deviations from or inadequacies in the employee's knowledge or use of the energy control procedures.  a. On or about December 28, 2023, and at times prior, located on the Maintenance Dock, the employer did not ensure that employees were trained and familiar with all of the necessary safety-related work practices for working on equipment while exposed to electric shock risk. As a result, an employee was exposed to electrical shock hazards associated with contact with electrical of 208 volts during maintenance and servicing tasks such as, but not limited to, servicing and repairing electrical equipment on the Haynes LD 6000 XD/Dumpmaster dumper.

Issued

May 10, 2024

Abate by

May 30, 2024

Penalty

Initial $88,721 · Current $16,131 Reduced

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1910.147(d): Application of control. The established procedures for the application of energy control (the lockout or tagout procedures) shall cover the following elements and actions and shall be done in the following sequence:  a. On or about December 7, 2023, and at times prior, located on the Universal Sorter Machine near the J-13 and K-13 areas, employees were exposed to machine hazards associated with caught-in/between hazards of unguarded moving conveyer belts and rollers while performing mail pan searches and clearing out the mail along the machine from the maintenance catwalks. The employer did not implement energy control application steps as the Universal Sorter Machine was not shutdown prior to performing the maintenance and servicing task [per the 1910.147(d)(2) requirements]. As a result, the remaining applicable energy control elements, including machine and equipment isolation [(d)(3)], lockout/tagout device application [(d)(4)], dissipation of residual and/or stored energy [(d)(5)(i)], and verification of isolation [(d)(6)], were not implemented to protect employees from machine servicing hazards.  b. On or about November 26, 2023, and at times prior, located on the Universal Sorter Machine dumpers, employees were exposed to machine hazards associated with caught-in/between hazards of the dumper and conveyer belt while performing mail searches and clearing out jammed mail/packages stuck on the conveyer belt. The employer did not implement energy control application steps as the machine and equipment was not isolated from its hazardous energy sources [(d)(3)]. As a result, the remaining applicable energy control elements, including lockout/tagout device application [(d)(4)], dissipation of residual and/or stored energy [(d)(5)(i)], and verification of isolation [(d)(6)], were not implemented to protect employees from machine servicing hazards.  c. On or about December 16, 2023, located on Induction I-Section 5 of the Universal Sorter Machine, employees were exposed to machine hazards associated with being struck-by or caught-between the hazards of the tilt trays/carts while performing maintenance and servicing tasks on the adjacent induction line to replace bearings.

Issued

May 10, 2024

Abate by

Jun 14, 2024

Penalty

Initial $50,699 · Current $16,131 Reduced

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1910.178(a)(5): If the truck is equipped with front-end attachments other than factory installed attachments, the user shall request that the truck be marked to identify the attachments and show the approximate weight of the truck and attachment combination at maximum elevation with load laterally centered.  a. On or about March 1, 2024, and at times prior, employees utilized an electric counterbalanced Toyota powered industrial truck (such as, but not limited to model no: 8FBEH18U - serial no: 16411; and model no. 7BEHU15*18*20; 7BEHU18) with a Hercules Industries front-end non-factory installed forklift attachment (Capacity: 6000 lbs.) in combination with an alloy steel chain and Sackett Systems Inc. hoist attachment (Capacity: 4000 lbs.) to lift and move batteries around the Battery Room without having the truck's data plate updated and marked accordingly. As a result, employees were exposed to struck-by hazards.  U.S. Postal Service DBA USPS Seminole P&DC was previously cited for a Repeat-Serious violation of this Occupational Safety and Health Standard which was contained in OSHA inspection number 1407646, citation number 2, item number 1 and was affirmed as a final order on January 6, 2020, with respect to a workplace located at 2036 E. Landstreet Rd., Orlando, Florida 32824.

Issued

May 10, 2024

Abate by

Jun 14, 2024

Penalty

Initial $12,676 · Current $0 Reduced

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1910.178(a)(4): Modifications and additions which affect capacity and safe operation shall not be performed by the customer or user without manufacturers prior written approval. Capacity, operation, and maintenance instruction plates, tags, or decals shall be changed accordingly.  a. On or about March 1, 2024, and at times prior, employees utilized an electric counterbalanced Toyota powered industrial truck (such as, but not limited to model no: 8FBEH18U - serial no: 16411; and model no. 7BEHU15*18*20; 7BEHU18) with a Hercules Industries forklift attachment (Capacity: 6000 lbs.) in combination with an alloy steel chain and Sackett Systems Inc. hoist attachment (Capacity: 4000 lbs.) to lift and move batteries around the Battery Room without obtaining manufacturer's written approval. As a result, employees were exposed to struck-by hazards.