OSHA Inspection: GREAT LAKES VENEER, INC.

Issued

May 2, 2025

Abate by

Jun 9, 2025

Penalty

Initial $10,641 · Current $5,321 Reduced

General-duty citation text

29 CFR  1910.147(c)(4)(i): Procedures shall be developed, documented and utilized for the control of potentially hazardous energy when employees are engaged in the activities covered by this section.  Note: Exception: The employer need not document the required procedure for a particular machine or equipment, when all of the following elements exist: (1) The machine or equipment has no potential for stored or residual energy or reaccumulation of stored energy after shut down which could endanger employees; (2) the machine or equipment has a single energy source which can be readily identified and isolated; (3) the isolation and locking out of that energy source will completely deenergize and deactivate the machine or equipment; (4) the machine or equipment is isolated from that energy source and locked out during servicing or maintenance; (5) a single lockout device will achieve a locker-out condition; (6) the lockout device is under the exclusive control of the authorized employee performing the servicing or maintenance; (7) the servicing or maintenance does not create hazards for other employees; and (8) the employer, in utilizing this exception, has had no accidents involving the unexpected activation or reenergization of the machine or equipment during servicing or maintenance.  On or about February 4, 2025, at a workplace located at 409 Birch Street, Tigerton, Wisconsin, in the Production Area;  the employer did not develop, document and utilize energy control procedures when employees were performing servicing and/or maintenance tasks to include but not limit cleaning, tool changes, and set up activities.  The equipment had multiple energy sources to include but not limit electrical, pneumatic, and kinetic sources exposing employees to entanglement and/or shear hazards.

Issued

May 2, 2025

Abate by

May 27, 2025

Penalty

Initial $10,641 · Current $5,321 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.:   a) On or about February 4, 2025, at a workplace located at Birch Street, Tigerton, Wisconsin in the Production Area; on the Yang lathe, the solid metal cover covering the rotating end of the headstock spindle was not in place to ensure employees were not exposed to flying chips and/or rotating parts hazards.   b) On or about February 4, 2025, at a workplace located at Birch Street, Tigerton, Wisconsin in the Production Area; on the Hwacheon C2 10 lathe, the solid metal cover covering the rotating end of the headstock spindle was not in place to ensure employees were not exposed to flying chips and/or rotating parts hazards.   c) On or about February 4, 2025, at a workplace located at Birch Street, Tigerton, Wisconsin in the Production Area; the Hi-Tech 1008B lathe, the solid metal cover covering the rotating end of the headstock spindle was not in place to ensure employees were not exposed to flying chips and/or rotating parts hazards.  d) On or about February 4, 2025, at a workplace located at 409 Birch Street, Tigerton, Wisconsin in the Production Area; the Victor Vturn-36 lathe was missing the metal circular cover over the rotating end of the headstock spindle to ensure employees were not exposed to flying chips and/or rotating parts hazards.

Issued

May 2, 2025

Abate by

May 27, 2025

Penalty

Initial $0 · Current $0

General-duty citation text

29 CFR  1910.212(a)(3)(ii): The point of operation of machines whose operation exposes an employee to injury, shall be guarded. The guarding device shall be in conformity with any appropriate standards therefor, or, in the absence of applicable specific standards, shall be so designed and constructed as to prevent the operator from having any part of his body in the danger zone during the operating cycle.  a) On or about February 4, 2025, at a workplace located at 409 Birch Street, Tigerton, Wisconsin in the Production Area; the unused portions of the saw blade on the Peerless horizontal bandsaw were not guarded to prevent exposure to the rotating blade.  b) On or about February 4, 2025, at a workplace located at 409 Birch Street, Tigerton, Wisconsin in the Production Area; the access door interlock on the Victor Vturn 36 lathe was defeated, permitting the door to remain open during operation exposing employees to entanglement and/or shear hazards.

Issued

May 2, 2025

Abate by

May 27, 2025

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 February 4, 2025, at a workplace located at 409 Birch Street, Tigerton, Wisconsin in the Production Area; the two tongue guards on the Vevor bench grinder exceeded the one quarter inch gap between the abrasive wheels.

Issued

May 2, 2025

Penalty

Initial $8,511 · Current $4,256 Reduced

General-duty citation text

29 CFR  1910.242(b): Compressed air used for cleaning. Compressed air shall not be used for cleaning purposes except where reduced to less than 30 p.s.i. and then only with effective chip guarding and personal protective equipment.  On or about February 4, 2025, at a workplace located at Birch Street, Tigerton, Wisconsin in the Production Area; machine operators were permitted to utilize air wands that were not reduced to 30 psi or lower to blow off tooling, machine beds and/or parts.

Issued

May 2, 2025

Penalty

Initial $4,255 · Current $2,128 Reduced

General-duty citation text

29 CFR  1910.305(g)(1)(iv)[A]: Flexible cords and cables may not be used as a substitute for the fixed wiring of a structure;  On or about February 4, 2025, at a workplace located at 409 Birch Street, Tigerton, Wisconsin in the Back Production Room; the employer did not ensure that a flexible cord was not used as a substitute for the fixed wiring of a structure, exposing employees to electrical hazards.  The Dayton 300 lbs. electric hoist was powered by an extension cord.  Great Lakes Veneer Inc. was previously cited for a violation of this Occupational Safety and Health Standard 1910.305(g)(1)(iv)[A], which was contained in OSHA inspection number 1508635, citation number 1, item number 2, and was affirmed as a final order on May 3, 2021, with respect to a workplace located at 222 S Parkview Ave. Marion, Wisconsin, 54950.