OSHA Inspection: SALEM STONES, INC.

Issued

Feb 27, 2025

Abate by

May 21, 2025

Penalty

Initial $4,965 · Current $4,965

General-duty citation text

29 CFR  1910.134(e)(1): General. The employer shall provide a medical evaluation to determine the employee's ability to use a respirator, before the employee is fit tested or required to use the respirator in the workplace. The employer may discontinue an employee's medical evaluations when the employee is no longer required to use a respirator.   a. On or before November 12, 2024, the employer did not provide a medical evaluation for employees who were required to wear respiratory protection while performing tasks such as, but not limited to, blasting, painting, and quality control.

Issued

Feb 27, 2025

Abate by

May 21, 2025

Penalty

Initial $0 · Current $0

General-duty citation text

29 CFR  1910.134(f)(2): The employer shall ensure that an employee using a tight-fitting facepiece respirator is fit tested prior to initial use of the respirator, whenever a different respirator facepiece (size, style, model or make) is used, and at least annually thereafter.   a. On or before November 12, 2024, the employer did not provide a fit test for employees who were required to wear respiratory protection while performing tasks such as, but not limited to, blasting, painting, and quality control.

Issued

Feb 27, 2025

Abate by

May 21, 2025

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.   a. On or before November 12, 2024, the employer did not provide respiratory protection training for employees who were required to wear respiratory protection while performing tasks such as, but not limited to, blasting, painting, and quality control.

Issued

Feb 27, 2025

Abate by

May 21, 2025

Penalty

Initial $0 · Current $0

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1910.134(g)(1)(i): The employer shall not permit respirators with tight-fitting facepieces to be worn by employees who have:  29 CFR 1910.134(g)(1)(i)(A): Facial hair that comes between the sealing surface of the facepiece and the face or that interferes with valve function; or   a. On or before November 12, 2024, the employer did not ensure that employees who were required to wear respiratory protection were clean shaven.

Issued

Feb 27, 2025

Penalty

Initial $11,585 · Current $11,033 Reduced

Hazardous substances 9000

General-duty citation text

29 CFR  1910.1053(d)(1):Exposure assessment-(1) General. The employer shall assess the exposure of each employee who is 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. On or before November 12, 2024, the employer did not assess the respirable crystalline silica exposures of employees who were potentially exposed while performing tasks such as, but not limited to, blasting, painting, and quality control.

Issued

Feb 27, 2025

Abate by

May 21, 2025

Penalty

Initial $8,276 · Current $0 Reduced

Hazardous substances 9000

General-duty citation text

29 CFR  1910.1053(e)(1): Regulated areas-(1) Establishment. The employer shall establish a regulated area wherever an employee's exposure to airborne concentrations of respirable crystalline silica is, or can reasonably be expected to be, in excess of the PEL.   a. On or before November 12, 2024, the employer did not establish a regulated area for the hand blasting area where employees were exposed to 239 micrograms/m3 of respirable crystalline silica.

Issued

Feb 27, 2025

Abate by

May 21, 2025

Penalty

Initial $11,585 · Current $11,033 Reduced

General-duty citation text

29 CFR  1910.1053(f)(2)(i): Written exposure control plan. (i) The employer shall establish and implement a written exposure control plan that contains at least the following elements described in paragraphs (A)-(C) of this section.   a. On or before November 12, 2024, the employer did not develop a written exposure control plan for employees who were potentially exposed to silica while performing tasks such as, but not limited to, blasting, painting, and quality control.

Issued

Feb 27, 2025

Abate by

May 21, 2025

Penalty

Initial $11,585 · Current $0 Reduced

Hazardous substances 9000

General-duty citation text

29 CFR  1910.1053(h)(1): Housekeeping. (1) The employer shall not allow dry sweeping or dry brushing where such activity could contribute to employee exposure to respirable crystalline silica unless wet sweeping, HEPA-filtered vacuuming or other methods that minimize the likelihood of exposure are not feasible.   a. On and before November 12, 2024, the employer allowed employees in the workplace to dry sweep silica containing materials, such as sand and granite dust, which could contribute to exposure.

Issued

Feb 27, 2025

Abate by

May 21, 2025

Penalty

Initial $11,585 · Current $11,033 Reduced

Hazardous substances 9000

General-duty citation text

29 CFR  1910.1053(i)(1)(i): Medical surveillance-(1) General. (i) The employer shall make medical surveillance available at no cost to the employee, and at a reasonable time and place, for each employee who will be occupationally exposed to respirable crystalline silica at or above the action level for 30 or more days per year.   a. On or before November 12, 2024, the employer did not provide medical surveillance for employees who were exposed to respirable crystalline silica above the Action Level of 25 micrograms/m3 while performing blasting, frosting, and quality control tasks.

Issued

Feb 27, 2025

Abate by

May 21, 2025

Penalty

Initial $11,585 · Current $0 Reduced

Hazardous substances 9000

General-duty citation text

29 CFR  1910.1053(j)(3)(i): Employee information and training. (i) The employer shall ensure that each employee covered by this section can demonstrate knowledge and understanding of at least the following items as outlined in paragraphs (A)-(E) of this section.   a. On or before November 12, 2024, the employer did not provide employees who were potentially exposed to crystalline silica with training on the hazards of exposure, tasks in the workplace that could lead to exposure, control methods, or the requirements of the OSHA standard.

Issued

Feb 27, 2025

Penalty

Initial $1,655 · Current $1,655

General-duty citation text

29 CFR  1904.29(b)(3):How quickly must each injury or illness be recorded? You must enter each recordable injury or illness on the OSHA 300 Log and 301 Incident Report within seven (7) calendar days of receiving information that a recordable injury or illness has occurred.  a. For an injury that occurred on November 1, 2024, the employer did not record the injury on the OSHA 300 log or equivalent form within 7 calendar days.