Air Force Contractor Cited for Exposing Workers to Hazardous Contaminants
The serious violations include exposing workers to air contaminants including hexavalent chromium, cadmium, and methylene chloride.
OSHA has cited contractor Affordable Engineering Services LLC at Hill Air Force Base in Ogden, Utah, for 12 serious safety and health violations related to exposing workers to hazardous contaminants. Proposed penalties total $51,850.
OSHA began its planned safety and health inspections at the base in January under its Federal Agency Targeting Inspection Program, which is designed to focus on federal work sites experiencing a high number of work-related injuries and illnesses. Affordable Engineering Services provides aircraft maintenance for the U.S. Air Force.
The serious violations include exposing workers to air contaminants including hexavalent chromium, cadmium, and methylene chloride; lack of engineering controls for air contaminants; lack of engineering controls for noise exposures; inadequate medical surveillance for employees exposed to hexavalent chromium and cadmium; lack of appropriate change rooms; failure to train workers on hazardous chemicals; and improper training for respiratory protection.
"This contractor's workers are exposed to excessive levels of hexavalent chromium, cadmium, and methylene chloride, and providing necessary controls is critical in preventing diseases like lung cancer," said Herb Gibson, director of OSHA's Denver Area Office. "These violations could have been avoided if the employer had followed OSHA's expanded health standards for chromium and cadmium."