OSHA Inspection: AMTEC CORPORATION

Issued

Sep 13, 2024

Abate by

Apr 30, 2025

Penalty

Initial $16,131 · Current $16,131

General-duty citation text

29 CFR  1910.119(f)(1)(iii)(B):The employer failed to ensure that the Process Safety Management Standard Operating Procedures included clear instruction of safety and health considerations including precautions necessary to prevent exposure, such as engineering controls, administrative controls, and personal protective equipment:  a)AMTEC Corporation dba Tech Ord, a Division of AMTEC Corporation at 47600 180th Street, Clear Lake, SD 57226: On or about and at times prior to March 18, 2024, the employer did not ensure the Assembly Procedure Electronic Detonator P/N 214044 Document Number 714044 Revision M-REDLINE Operation 6: Ignition Assembly Insertion included a clear prohibition on handling the body of the electronic detonator by hand during the covered process. Direct handling of the detonator body by an operator's hand can increase the risk of primary blast injuries in the event of a detonation. This condition increased employees' exposure to primary blast injuries in the event of a detonation. As a result an operator suffered primary blast injuries because of directly handling of the electronic detonator body.   b)AMTEC Corporation dba Tech Ord, a Division of AMTEC Corporation at 47600 180th Street, Clear Lake, SD 57226: On or about and at times prior to March 18, 2024, the employer did not ensure the Assembly Procedure Electronic Detonator P/N 214044 Document Number 714044 Revision M-REDLINE Operation 6: Ignition Assembly Insertion included a clear instruction on the use of equipment intended to allow indirect handling of the electronic detonator body, e.g. tweezers, holder die, withing operational steps the covered process. Direct handling of the detonator body by an operator's hand can increase the risk of primary blast injuries in the event of a detonation. This condition increased employees exposure to primary blast injuries in the event of a detonation.  As a result an operator suffered primary blast injuries because of directly handling of the electronic detonator body.   c)AMTEC Corporation dba Tech Ord, a Division of AMTEC Corporation at 47600 180th Street, Clear Lake, SD 57226: On or about and at times prior to March 18, 2024, the employer did not ensure the Assembly Procedure Electronic Detonator P/N 214044 Document Number 714044 Revision M-REDLINE Operation 6: Ignition Assembly Insertion included a clear prohibition on the use of non-electrostatic dissipative or conductive gloves during the covered process. Operator use of gloves when handling electronic detonators can impede electrostatic dissipation controls.  This condition increased employees' exposure to primary blast injuries in the event of a detonation.  As a result an employee suffered partial loss of two fingers as well as other injuries after a electronic detonator detonated during handling when the operator was wearing gloves.  d)AMTEC Corporation dba Tech Ord, a Division of AMTEC Corporation at 47600 180th Street, Clear Lake, SD 57226: On or about and at times prior to March 18, 2024, the employer did not ensure the Assembly Procedure Electronic Detonator P/N 214044 Document Number 714044 Revision M-REDLINE  included instruction on the review of the condition and functionality of electrostatic dissipative chairs when employees performed work sitting at workstations. Both non-electrostatic dissipative chairs and electrostatic dissipative chairs missing grounding chains were observed in Building 122. Use of non-electrostatic dissipative chairs or use of non-functioning electrostatic dissipative chairs can impede dissipation of static charge in the system. The accumulation of static charge to dangerous level can expose employees to fire and explosion hazards.

Issued

Sep 13, 2024

Abate by

Apr 30, 2025

Penalty

Initial $16,131 · Current $16,131

General-duty citation text

29 CFR  1910.147(f)(1)(ii): The employees were not removed from the machine or equipment area when lockout or tagout devices were temporarily removed from the energy isolating device and the machine or equipment was energized to test or position the machine:  a)AMTEC Corporation dba Tech Ord, a Division of AMTEC Corporation at 47600 180th Street, Clear Lake, SD 57226: On or about and at times prior to April 8, 2024 the employer did not ensure that employees were removed from the lead azide rebowling robot bay or alternative employee protection through safeguarding was provided during the dry-run inspection of the lead azide rebowling robot. This condition exposed employees to struck-by and caught-in hazards.

Issued

Sep 13, 2024

Abate by

Apr 30, 2025

Penalty

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

General-duty citation text

29 CFR  1910.119(f)(1)(i)[B]: The employer did not develop and implement written operating procedures that provide clear instructions for safely conducting activities involved in normal operations and each covered process:  a)AMTEC Corporation dba Tech Ord, a Division of AMTEC Corporation at 47600 180th Street, Clear Lake, SD 57226: On or about and at times prior to April 1, 2024, the employer did not ensure the Machine Operating Procedure VACCUM DRYING AND RE-BOWLING OPERATION Document Number 600309-050 Revision D included clear instructions to safely address the condition of residual explosive materials failing to transfer from the drying velostat to the sieve. This condition exposed employees to explosion hazards.  As a result an operator suffered injuries including, but not limited to, loss of three fingers, burns, and hearing loss when addressing the condition of residual explosive materials failing to transfer from the drying velostat to the sieve.   b)AMTEC Corporation dba Tech Ord, a Division of AMTEC Corporation at 47600 180th Street, Clear Lake, SD 57226: On or about and at times prior to April 1, 2024, the employer did not ensure the Machine Operating Procedure VACCUM DRYING AND RE-BOWLING OPERATION Document Number 600309-050 Revision D included clear instructions to safely address the condition of the FillPro dispensing less than the desired weight into pillboxes. Inappropriate handling of pillboxes containing explosives exposes employees to fire and explosion hazards.  AMTEC Corporation dba Tech Ord, a Division of AMTEC Corporation was previously cited for a violation of this occupational safety and health standard or its equivalent standard 29 CFR  1910.119(f)(1)(i)(B), which was contained in OSHA inspection number 1627407, citation number 1, item number 4a  and was affirmed as a final order on September 20, 2023, with respect to a workplace located at 47600 180th Street, Clear Lake, SD 57226.

Issued

Sep 13, 2024

Abate by

Apr 30, 2025

Penalty

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

General-duty citation text

29 CFR  1910.119(g)(1)(i): The company did not provide training in an overview of the process and in the operating procedures as specified in paragraph (f) of this section to each employee presently involved in operating a process, and each employee before being involved in operating a newly assigned process. The training shall include emphasis on the specific safety and health hazards, emergency operations including shutdown, and safe work practices applicable to the employee's job tasks:  a)AMTEC Corporation dba Tech Ord, a Division of AMTEC Corporation at 47600 180th Street, Clear Lake, SD 57226: On or about and at times prior to April 1, 2024, the employer did not ensure employees operating the lead azide rebowling robot were provided training on safe work practices to address accumulations of residual explosives in the drying velostat that fail to transfer to the sieve. This condition exposed employees to fire and explosion hazards.   b)AMTEC Corporation dba Tech Ord, a Division of AMTEC Corporation at 47600 180th Street, Clear Lake, SD 57226: On or about and at times prior to March 18, 2024, the employer did not ensure employees assembling 214044 electronic detonators were provided training on safe work practices to reduce employee exposure to hazards related to electrostatic discharge including but not limited to appropriate use of gloves, use of chairs in production areas, and appropriate handling of electronic detonators. This condition exposed employees to fire and explosion hazards.   AMTEC Corporation dba Tech Ord, a Division of AMTEC Corporation was previously cited for a violation of this occupational safety and health standard or its equivalent standard 29 CFR  1910.119(g)(1)(i), which was contained in OSHA inspection number 1627407, citation number 1, item number 5a and was affirmed as a final order on September 20, 2023, with respect to a workplace located at 47600 180th Street, Clear Lake, SD 57226.

Issued

Sep 13, 2024

Abate by

Apr 30, 2025

Penalty

Initial $0 · Current $65,000

General-duty citation text

29 CFR  1910.119(g)(3): The employer did not ascertain that each employee involved in operating a process had received and understood the training required by preparing a record which contained the identity of the employee, the date of training, and the means used to verify that the employee understood the training:  a)AMTEC Corporation dba Tech Ord, a Division of AMTEC Corporation at 47600 180th Street in Clear Lake, SD 57226: On or about and at times prior to April 1, 2024, the employer did not ensure employees operating the lead azide rebowling robot had completed training on the Machine Operating Procedure VACCUM DRYING AND RE-BOWLING OPERATION Document Number 600309-050 Revision D by preparing a record which contained the identity of the employee, the date of training, and the means used to verify that the employee understood the training. This condition exposed employees to fire and explosion hazards.   b)AMTEC Corporation dba Tech Ord, a Division of AMTEC Corporation at 47600 180th Street in Clear Lake, SD 57226: On or about and at times prior to April 1, 2024, the employer did not ensure employees operating the lead azide rebowling robot had completed training on the Product Realization Operating Procedure Prepping Lead Azide for Vacuum Drying and Re-Bowling Process Document Number 6000114-060 Revision E by which contained the identity of the employee, the date of training, and the means used to verify that the employee understood the training. This condition exposed employees to fire and explosion hazards.   AMTEC Corporation dba Tech Ord, a Division of AMTEC Corporation was previously cited for a violation of this occupational safety and health standard or its equivalent standard 29 CFR  1910.119(g)(3), which was contained in OSHA inspection number 1627407, citation number 1, item number 5b and was affirmed as a final order on September 20, 2023, with respect to a workplace located at 47600 180th Street, Clear Lake, SD 57226.

Issued

Sep 13, 2024

Abate by

Apr 30, 2025

Penalty

Initial $0 · Current $0

General-duty citation text

29 CFR  1910.1200(f)(6): The employer did not ensure that each container of hazardous chemicals in the workplace is labeled, tagged or marked with the product identifier and words, pictures and/or symbols which provide the general information regarding the hazards of the chemical:   a)AMTEC Corporation dba Tech Ord, a Division of AMTEC Corporation at 47600 180th Street, Clear Lake, SD 57226: On or about and at times prior to March 28, 2024, a bottle of isopropyl alcohol used in the vicinity of workstation TOOO5 in Building 122 was not labeled, tagged or marked with product identifier and words, pictures and/or symbols which provide the general information regarding the hazards of the chemical.  This condition exposed employees to hazardous chemicals.