OSHA Inspection: ACTION COUPLING & EQUIPMENT, INC.

Issued

Mar 18, 2024

Abate by

Apr 22, 2024

Penalty

Initial $5,323 · Current $3,194 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.  On or about December 14, 2023, the employer did not develop and implement a written respiratory protection program with worksite-specific procedures for respirator use that included all provisions in 29 CFR 1910.134(c)(1)(i) - (ix).  The employer required employees to wear a 3M N95 Particle respirator when doing Acucoat powder coating.

Issued

Mar 18, 2024

Abate by

Apr 22, 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.   On or about December 14, 2023, the employer did not provide a medical evaluation to determine each employees' ability to use a respirator before requiring the use.  The employer required employees to wear a 3M N95 Particle respirator while spraying Acucoat powder coating on parts.

Issued

Mar 18, 2024

Abate by

Apr 22, 2024

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 or annually refitted:  On or about December 14, 2023, the employer did not provide a fit test to all employees required to wear respirators.  The employer required employees to wear 3M N95 Particle respirator spraying Acucoat powder coating on parts.

Issued

Mar 18, 2024

Abate by

Apr 22, 2024

Penalty

Initial $0 · Current $0

General-duty citation text

29 CFR  1910.134(k): Training and information. This paragraph requires the employer to provide effective training to employees who are required to use respirators. The training must be comprehensive, understandable, and recur annually, and more often if necessary. This paragraph also requires the employer to provide the basic information on respirators in Appendix D of this section to employees who wear respirators when not required by this section or by the employer to do so.  On or about December 14, 2023, the employer did not ensure training was provided to employees about respirators before requiring the use.  The employer required employees to wear respirators while spraying Acucoat powder coating on parts.

Issued

Mar 18, 2024

Abate by

Apr 22, 2024

Penalty

Initial $8,873 · Current $5,324 Reduced

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1910.147(c)(4)(ii): The procedures shall clearly and specifically outline the scope, purpose, authorization, rules, and techniques to be utilized for the control of hazardous energy, and the means to enforce compliance.  On or about December 14, 2023, the employer did not ensure that the established energy control procedures provided clear and specific details for employees to safely and effectively control all hazardous energies when performing servicing and maintenance on machines such as but not limited to the screw machines and CNC machines.

Issued

Mar 18, 2024

Abate by

Apr 22, 2024

Penalty

Initial $8,873 · Current $0 Reduced

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 14, 2023, periodic inspections of the energy control procedures were not performed at least annually to ensure the procedures and requirements of the standard were being followed.

Issued

Mar 18, 2024

Penalty

Initial $8,873 · Current $5,324 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 sequence as required by 29 CFR 1910.147(d)(1) through (d)(6).  On or about December 14, 2023, in the Automatics department, employees were exposed to moving parts of the screw machines while performing maintenance and servicing activities such as but not limited to set up. The employer failed to implement energy control application steps as the machine was not shut down or turned off to perform the servicing work [per the 1910.147 (d)(2) requirements]. As a result, the remaining applicable energy control elements, involving machine isolation [(d)(3)], LOTO device application [(d)(4)], dissipation of residual energy [(d)(5)], and verification of isolation [(d)(6)], were not implemented to protect employees from machine servicing hazards.

Issued

Mar 18, 2024

Penalty

Initial $5,323 · Current $3,194 Reduced

General-duty citation text

29 CFR  1910.212(a)(3)(i): Point of operation is the area on a machine where work is actually performed upon the material being processed.  a. On or about December 14, 2023, the G07 Schmitt stamping machine did not have guards in place to prevent employees from getting into the point of operation.  b. On or about December 14, 2023, in the Assembly department, the presses were not fully guarded to prevent employees from getting into the point of operation.

Issued

Mar 18, 2024

Penalty

Initial $5,323 · Current $3,194 Reduced

General-duty citation text

29 CFR  1910.215(a)(4): Work rests. On offhand grinding machines, work rests shall be used to support the work. They shall be of rigid construction and designed to be adjustable to compensate for wheel wear. Work rests shall be kept adjusted closely to the wheel with a maximum opening of one-eighth inch to prevent the work from being jammed between the wheel and the rest, which may cause wheel breakage. The work rest shall be securely clamped after each adjustment. The adjustment shall not be made with the wheel in motion.  On or about December 14, 2023, the Dayton double bench grinder did not have the work rests adjusted to a maximum opening of 1/8 inch to prevent work from being jammed between the wheel and rest at both abrasive wheels.

Issued

Mar 18, 2024

Penalty

Initial $0 · Current $0

General-duty citation text

29 CFR  1910.215(b)(9): Exposure adjustment. Safety guards of the types described in Subparagraphs (3) and (4) of this paragraph, where the operator stands in front of the opening, shall be constructed so that the peripheral protecting member can be adjusted to the constantly decreasing diameter of the wheel. The maximum angular exposure above the horizontal plane of the wheel spindle as specified in paragraphs (b)(3) and (4) of this section shall never be exceeded, and the distance between the wheel periphery and the adjustable tongue or the end of the peripheral member at the top shall never exceed one-fourth inch. (See Figures O-18, O-19, O-20, O-21, O-22, and O-23.)  On or about December 14, 2023, the Dayton double bench grinder did not have a tongue guard in place at both abrasive wheels.

Issued

Mar 18, 2024

Penalty

Initial $17,747 · Current $10,648 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 or about December 14, 2023, in the brass department, the Dynapath 750 threading machine did not have guards in place to prevent employees from reaching into moving parts.   The Action Coupling & Equipment, Inc.  was previously cited for a violation of this occupational safety and health standard or its equivalent standard 1910.212(a)(1), which was contained in OSHA inspection number 1520590, citation number 1, item number 1c and was affirmed as a final order on July 21, 2021, with respect to a workplace located at 8248 County Road 245, Holmesville, Ohio 44633.