OSHA Inspection: FOX VALLEY METAL FAB, INC.

Issued

2025-04-11 00:00:00

Abate by

2025-07-31 00:00:00

Penalty

Initial $4729.00 · Current $2333.00 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 5925 N. Richmond Street in Appleton, WI; a continuing, effective hearing conservation program (including the elements of noise monitoring, employee notification, audiometric testing, hearing protection, training, information, and recordkeeping) was not administered for instances such as, but not limited to:  (a) On February 13, 2025, an employee Welding/Fabricating in the eastern bay was exposed to noise at 96.3% of the permissible daily dose, or an average sound level of 90.3 dBA, as measured over 439 minutes of sampling.  This dose is equivalent to an 8-hour TWA exposure of 89.7 dBA accounting for the period of 41 minutes unmonitored.

Issued

2025-04-11 00:00:00

Abate by

2025-07-31 00:00:00

Penalty

Initial $4729.00 · Current $2333.00 Reduced

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1910.303(b)(2):  Listed or labeled equipment shall be installed and used in accordance with any instructions included in the listing or labeling:  On or about February 12, 2025, at a facility located at 5925 N. Richmond Street in Appleton, WI; metallic outlet boxes (handy box) were connected to flexible cords and used as extension cord for welding equipment in the east bay of the facility. The metal outlet boxes were not installed in accordance with the UL identifier QCIT, which states that boxes shall be mounted in or on a surface.

Issued

2025-04-11 00:00:00

Penalty

Initial $4729.00 · Current $2333.00 Reduced

Hazardous substances 0689

General-duty citation text

29 CFR  1910.1026(d)(1):  Each employer who has a workplace or work operation covered by this section shall determine the 8-hour TWA exposure for each employee exposed to chromium (VI). This determination shall be made in accordance with either paragraph (d)(2) or paragraph (d)(3) of this section:  On or about February 12, 2025, at a facility located at 5925 N. Richmond Street in Appleton, WI; the employer did not determine the 8-hour TWA exposure for each employee exposed to chromium (VI) when Welder/Fabricator employees were MIG welding on stainless steel.

Issued

2025-04-11 00:00:00

Abate by

2025-07-31 00:00:00

Penalty

Initial $0.00 · Current $0.00

Hazardous substances 0689

General-duty citation text

29 CFR  1910.1026(l)(1)(iii):  Employers shall include chromium (VI) in the hazard communication program established to comply with the HCS (§ 1910.1200). Employers shall ensure that each employee has access to labels on containers of chromium (VI) and to safety data sheets, and is trained in accordance with the requirements of HCS and paragraph (l)(2) of this section:  On or about February 12, 2025, at a facility located at 5925 N. Richmond Street in Appleton, WI; the employer did not include chromium (VI) in a hazard communication program. Employees did not have access to safety data sheets (SDS) for chromium containing welding wire and the employer did not train employees on the health hazards of chromium (VI).

Issued

2025-04-11 00:00:00

Abate by

2025-07-31 00:00:00

Penalty

Initial $0.00 · Current $0.00

Hazardous substances 0689

General-duty citation text

29 CFR  1910.1026(l)(2)(i): The employer shall ensure that each employee can demonstrate knowledge of at least the contents of this section and the purpose and a description of the medical surveillance program required by paragraph (k) of this section:  On or about February 12, 2025, at a facility located at 5925 N. Richmond Street in Appleton, WI; the employer did not ensure that employees exposed to chromium (VI) when MIG welding on stainless steel, could demonstrate the knowledge of the contents of this section and the purpose and a description of the medical surveillance program for chromium (VI).

Issued

2025-04-11 00:00:00

Abate by

2025-07-31 00:00:00

Penalty

Initial $0.00 · Current $0.00

Hazardous substances 1730

General-duty citation text

29 CFR  1910.1052(d)(1)(i):  Where Methylene Chloride (MC) is present in the workplace, the employer shall determine each employee's exposure by taking personal breathing zone air samples of each employee or personal breathing zone air samples that are representative of each employees' exposure:  On or about February 12, 2025, at a facility located at 5925 N. Richmond Street in Appleton, WI; the employer did not determine employees' exposure to methylene chloride, which was present in Dynaflux Crack Check CNF Cleaner and DNF Developer components, by taking personal breathing zone air samples.

Issued

2025-04-11 00:00:00

Abate by

2025-07-31 00:00:00

Penalty

Initial $0.00 · Current $0.00

Hazardous substances 1730

General-duty citation text

29 CFR  1910.1052(k)(1)(iii):  Employers shall include methylene chloride (MC) in the hazard communication program established to comply with the HCS (§ 1910.1200). Employers shall ensure that each employee has access to labels on containers of MC and to safety data sheets, and is trained in accordance with the requirements of HCS and paragraph (l) of this section:  On or about February 12, 2025, at a facility located at 5925 N. Richmond Street in Appleton, WI; the employer did not include methylene chloride in a hazard communication program.   Employees did not have access to safety data sheets (SDS) for Duraflux Crack Check chemicals containing methylene chloride and the employer did not train employees on the health hazards of methylene chloride.

Issued

2025-04-11 00:00:00

Abate by

2025-07-31 00:00:00

Penalty

Initial $0.00 · Current $0.00

Hazardous substances 1730

General-duty citation text

29 CFR  1910.1052(l)(1):  The employer shall provide information and training for each affected employee prior to or at the time of initial assignment to a job involving potential exposure to methylene chloride (MC):  On or about February 12, 2025, at a facility located at 5925 N. Richmond Street in Appleton, WI; the employer did not provide information and training to each employee with exposure to methylene chloride, which was present in Dynaflux Crack Check CNF Cleaner and DNF Developer components.

Issued

2025-04-11 00:00:00

Abate by

2025-07-31 00:00:00

Penalty

Initial $4729.00 · Current $0.00 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:  On or about February 12, 2025, at a facility located at 5925 N. Richmond Street in Appleton, WI; the employer did not develop or implement a written hazard communication program when employees were working with hazardous chemicals, such as but not limited to, metal fumes from welding wire and metal stock, weld crack check components, and welding gasses.  All provisions of 29 CFR 1910.1200(e) through (h) must be covered in a hazard communication program. Key elements include, but are not limited to the following:  1) List of hazardous chemicals 2) Complete and accessible SDS collection 3) Non-routine tasks 4) Container labeling 5) Employee information and training

Issued

2025-04-11 00:00:00

Abate by

2025-07-31 00:00:00

Penalty

Initial $0.00 · Current $0.00

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 February 12, 2025, at a facility located at 5925 N. Richmond Street in Appleton, WI; the employer did not have a safety data sheet (SDS) in the workplace for each hazardous chemical when employees were working with hazardous chemicals, such as but not limited to, metal fumes from welding wire and metal stock, weld crack check components, and welding gasses.

Issued

2025-04-11 00:00:00

Abate by

2025-07-31 00:00:00

Penalty

Initial $0.00 · Current $0.00

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 February 12, 2025, at a facility located at 5925 N. Richmond Street in Appleton, WI; the employer did not provide employees with effective information and training on hazardous chemicals in their work areas when employees were working with hazardous chemicals, such as but not limited to, metal fumes from welding wire and metal stock, weld crack check components, and welding gasses.

Issued

2025-04-11 00:00:00

Abate by

2025-07-31 00:00:00

Penalty

Initial $0.00 · Current $0.00

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 February 12, 2025, at a facility located at 5925 N. Richmond Street in Appleton, 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 hazardous chemicals, such as but not limited to, metal fumes from welding wire and metal stock, weld crack check components, and welding gasses.

Issued

2025-04-11 00:00:00

Abate by

2025-07-31 00:00:00

Penalty

Initial $0.00 · Current $0.00

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 February 12, 2025, at a facility located at 5925 N. Richmond Street in Appleton, 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, metal fumes from welding wire and metal stock, weld crack check components, and welding gasses.

Issued

2025-04-11 00:00:00

Abate by

2025-07-31 00:00:00

Penalty

Initial $0.00 · Current $0.00

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 February 12, 2025, at a facility located at 5925 N. Richmond Street in Appleton, WI; the employer did not provide employees with the basic advisory information on respirators, as presented in Appendix D of this section, when the employer made N95 filtering facepiece (dust mask) respirators available to employees for voluntary use.