OSHA Inspection: THE GRANITE COMPANY, LLC

Issued

Mar 13, 2025

Abate by

May 21, 2025

Penalty

Initial $8,276 · Current $4,138 Reduced

Hazardous substances 8111

General-duty citation text

29 CFR  1910.95(c)(1):  The employer shall administer a continuing, effective hearing conservation program, as described in paragraphs (c) through (o) of this section, whenever employee noise exposures equal or exceed an 8-hour time-weighted average sound level (TWA) of 85 decibels measured on the A scale (slow response) or, equivalently, a dose of fifty percent. For purposes of the hearing conservation program, employee noise exposures shall be computed in accordance with appendix A and Table G-16a, and without regard to any attenuation provided by the use of personal protective equipment:  At a facility located at 1130 South Taylor Street in Green Bay, WI; the employer did not administer a continuing and effective hearing conservation program for instances such as, but not limited to:  a) On January 30, 2025, a Polisher employee was exposed to noise at 72.7% of the permissible daily dose, or an average sound level of 87.8 dBA, as measured over 469 minutes of sampling.  This dose is equivalent to an 8-hour TWA exposure of 87.7 dBA accounting for the period of 11 minutes unmonitored.   b) On January 30, 2025, a Polisher employee was exposed to noise at 79.5% of the permissible daily dose, or an average sound level of 89.1 dBA, as measured over 435 minutes of sampling.  This dose is equivalent to an 8-hour TWA exposure of 88.3 dBA accounting for the period of 45 minutes unmonitored.   c) On January 30, 2025, a Polisher employee was exposed to noise at 82.3% of the permissible daily dose, or an average sound level of 88.7 dBA, as measured over 467 minutes of sampling.  This dose is equivalent to an 8-hour TWA exposure of 88.6 dBA accounting for the period of 13 minutes unmonitored.   All provisions of 29 CFR 1910.95(c) through (m) must be contained in a hearing conservation program. Key elements include, but are not limited to the following:  1) Noise monitoring 2) Audiometric testing 3) Hearing protection 4) Information and training 5) Recordkeeping

Issued

Mar 13, 2025

Abate by

May 21, 2025

Penalty

Initial $0 · Current $0

Hazardous substances 8111

General-duty citation text

29 CFR  1910.95(g)(1): The employer shall establish and maintain an audiometric testing program as provided in this paragraph by making audiometric testing available to all employees whose exposures equal or exceed an 8-hour time-weighted average of 85 decibels:   On January 30, 2025, at a facility located at 1130 South Taylor Street in Green Bay, WI; the employer did not establish and maintain an audiometric testing program when employees were exposed to noise exceeding 85 dBA as an 8-hour time-weighted average.

Issued

Mar 13, 2025

Abate by

Apr 10, 2025

Penalty

Initial $0 · Current $0

Hazardous substances 8111

General-duty citation text

29 CFR  1910.95(k)(1): The employer shall train each employee who is exposed to noise at or above an 8-hour time weighted average of 85 decibels in accordance with the requirements of this section. The employer shall institute a training program and ensure employee participation in the program:   On January 30, 2025, at a facility located at 1130 South Taylor Street in Green Bay, WI; the employer did not train each employee who was exposed to noise at or above an 8-hour time weighted average of 85 dBA in accordance with the requirements of this section.

Issued

Mar 13, 2025

Abate by

Apr 10, 2025

Penalty

Initial $6,620 · Current $3,310 Reduced

General-duty citation text

29 CFR  1910.134(k)(6):  The basic advisory information on respirators, as presented in Appendix D of this section, shall be provided by the employer in any written or oral format, to employees who wear respirators when such use is not required by this section or by the employer:  On or about January 15, 2025, at a facility located at 1130 South Taylor Street in Green Bay, WI; the employer did not provide the basic advisory information on respirators, as presented in Appendix D of this section, when the employer made N95 dust masks (filtering facepiece respirators) available to employees for voluntary use at work.

Issued

Mar 13, 2025

Abate by

May 21, 2025

Penalty

Initial $8,276 · Current $4,138 Reduced

Hazardous substances 9000

General-duty citation text

29 CFR  1910.1053(d)(1):  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:  On or about January 15, 2025, at a facility located at 1130 South Taylor Street in Green Bay, WI; the employer did not assess exposure of each employee who may reasonably be expected to be exposed to respirable crystalline silica at or above the action level. The employer did not conduct personal exposure sampling to determine 8-hour TWA exposure for Polisher employees, Mill Operators, Saw Operators and Installation employees who abrasively removed portions of engineered stone (e.g., quartz) products with wet polishing and grinding hand tools, respectively.

Issued

Mar 13, 2025

Abate by

Apr 10, 2025

Penalty

Initial $0 · Current $0

Hazardous substances 9000

General-duty citation text

29 CFR  1910.1053(j)(3)(i):  Employee information and training. The employer shall ensure that each employee covered by this section can demonstrate knowledge and understanding of at least the the information contained in subparagraphs (j)(3)(i)(A) through (E):  On or about January 15, 2025, at a facility located at 1130 South Taylor Street in Green Bay, WI; the employer did not provide information and training to employees who cut, shaped, and polished engineered stone products and who were or could be exposed to respirable crystalline silica (RCS) in the workplace.  Training shall include, but are not limited to the following: 1) RCS health hazards 2) Tasks that could result in RCS exposures 3) Specific protective controls (engineering, work-practice, PPE) 4) Contents of the RCS standard 5) Purpose and description of the RCS medical surveillance program

Issued

Mar 13, 2025

Abate by

Apr 10, 2025

Penalty

Initial $8,276 · Current $4,138 Reduced

General-duty citation text

29 CFR  1910.1200(e)(1):  Employers shall develop, implement, and maintain at each workplace, a written hazard communication program which at least describes how the criteria specified in paragraphs (f), (g), and (h) of this section for labels and other forms of warning, safety data sheets, and employee information and training will be met, and which also includes the following:  On or about January 15, 2025, at a facility located at 1130 South Taylor Street in Green Bay, WI; the employer did not develop or implement a written hazard communication program when employees were working with hazards chemicals, such as but not limited to silica in engineered stone, adhesives and solvents, in their work areas.  All provisions of 29 CFR 1910.1200(e) through (h) must be contained in a hazard communication program. Key elements include, but are not limited to the following:  1) List of all hazardous chemicals at the site 2) Complete collection of SDS 3) Labeling 4) Employee information and training

Issued

Mar 13, 2025

Abate by

Apr 10, 2025

Penalty

Initial $0 · Current $0

General-duty citation text

29 CFR  1910.1200(g)(1):  Employers shall have a safety data sheet in the workplace for each hazardous chemical which they use:  On or about January 15, 2025, at a facility located at 1130 South Taylor Street in Green Bay, WI; the employer did not have safety data sheets (SDS) in their workplace for each hazardous chemical they used when employees were working with hazards chemicals, such as but not limited to silica in engineered stone, adhesives and solvents, in their work areas.

Issued

Mar 13, 2025

Abate by

Apr 10, 2025

Penalty

Initial $0 · Current $0

General-duty citation text

29 CFR  1910.1200(h)(1): Employers shall provide employees with effective information and training on hazardous chemicals in their work area at the time of their initial assignment, and whenever a new chemical hazard the employees have not previously been trained about is introduced into their work area. Information and training may be designed to cover categories of hazards (e.g., flammability, carcinogenicity) or specific chemicals. Chemical-specific information must always be available through labels and safety data sheets:  On or about January 15, 2025, at a facility located at 1130 South Taylor Street in Green Bay, WI; the employer did not provide employees with effective information and training on hazardous chemicals in their work areas when employees were working with hazards chemicals, such as but not limited to silica in engineered stone, adhesives and solvents, in their work areas.

Issued

Mar 13, 2025

Abate by

Apr 10, 2025

Penalty

Initial $0 · Current $0

General-duty citation text

29 CFR  1910.1200(h)(2): Employees shall be informed of; i) the requirements of this section, ii) any operations in their work area where hazardous chemicals are present, and iii) the location and availability of the written hazard communication program, including the required list(s) of hazardous chemicals, and safety data sheets required by this section:  On or about January 15, 2025, at a facility located at 1130 South Taylor Street in Green Bay, WI; the employer did not inform employees of the requirement of the hazard communication standard, operations in their work area where hazardous chemicals were present, and the employer did not have a written program or available safety data sheets (SDS) when employees were working with hazards chemicals, such as but not limited to silica in engineered stone, adhesives and solvents, in their work areas.

Issued

Mar 13, 2025

Abate by

Apr 10, 2025

Penalty

Initial $0 · Current $0

General-duty citation text

29 CFR  1910.1200(h)(3): Employee training shall include at least the topics covered by subsections (h)(3)(i) through (h)(3)(iv) of this section:  On or about January 15, 2025, at a facility located at 1130 South Taylor Street in Green Bay, WI; the employer did not provide training to employees regarding: (i) how employees could detect hazardous chemicals in the work areas; (ii) the physical hazards, health hazards of the chemicals in their work areas; (iii) the measure employees could take to protect themselves from hazardous chemicals through procedures and/or personal protective equipment (PPE); and (iv) the details of the hazard commination program including descriptions of safety data sheets (SDS). Employees worked with hazardous chemicals such as, but not limited to silica in engineered stone, adhesives and solvents.