OSHA's inspection found 24 alleged serious violations of the OSH Act, the majority of which stemmed from overall deficiencies in the company's process safety management program.
"You might not think of a carwash as a particularly dangerous workplace, but hazards can be present in any workplace if the proper safeguards are not provided and maintained," said Robert Kowalski, OSHA's area director in Bridgeport, Conn.
The serious violations include unguarded machinery, inadequate training, failure to develop energy control (lockout/tagout) and hazard communication programs, obstructed emergency stop buttons, a lack of hand rails on industrial stairs, and failure to prohibit workers from riding on a conveyor.
OSHA, the University of the Sacred Heart, and the Puerto Rico OSHA also vowed to work together on specific issues and projects regarding construction and general industry safety and health that are developed and addressed through the alliance.
OSHA cited the company with one willful violation for failing to provide an adequate protective system for employees working in an excavation 8 to 10 feet in depth and one serious violation for failing to ensure employees were wearing high visibility vests.
This recall affects Buderus gas-fired, floor-standing boilers sold by plumbing and heating wholesale distributors to plumbing and heating contractors nationwide from April 2008 through February 2009 for between $12,000 and $24,000 installed.
Lax housekeeping and equipment that was inadequately designed and maintained allowed the buildup of sugar dust that exploded in February 2008, the board's final draft report concludes. Georgia's two U.S. senators today joined in backing OSHA's plan to issue a combustible dust standard.
The company also received one repeat citation, which alone had a proposed $25,000 fine, for not developing and implementing specific hazardous energy control procedures for all machinery at the plant. It was cited for a similar hazard in February 2007.
"There can be no delay in exiting a workplace during a fire or other emergency when the difference between escape and injury or death can be measured in seconds," said Kay Gee, OSHA's acting area director in Manhattan.
The site's lack of eyewash or shower stations near where employees were exposed to corrosive materials were among the 10 serious health violations for which OSHA cited the Georgia company.
The company was cited for violating Resource Conservation and Recovery Act requirements for treating, managing, and disposing of hazardous waste, including failure to mark, label, and keep hazardous waste containers closed; and comply with training, monitoring, inspection, and recording requirements.
During a 2007 inspection, EPA staff found acetone and toluene being stored improperly at the facility. The agency noted that exposure to such solvents can affect breathing and cause vomiting.
The newly downloadable document addresses methods for controlling silica such as wet cutting during construction operations and using vacuum dust collection systems.
With more participation this year than ever before, more than 100 radio stations in some 20 states are planning to help raise awareness of mesothelioma by playing a Warren Zevon song followed by a 20-second segment about the incurable disease on Saturday, Sept. 26.
In addition to issuing willful, repeat, and serious citations to the company, OSHA also issued it a notice of failure-to-abate citation relating to its failure to implement a respiratory program, institute a medical surveillance program for workers overexposed to chromium VI, and develop and implement a hazard communication program for workers exposed to caustics and corrosives.
The new IPAF safety video uses scenarios extracted from its popular operator training course, which is used to train about 80,000 people per year.
The standard applies to the evaluation of vibration on rotodynamic pump applications, specifically when the vibration measurements are made on non-rotating parts (bearing housing vibration).
A follow-up OSHA visit found uninspected overhead cranes; uninspected lifting hooks; defective and unmarked lifting slings; unguarded live electrical parts; damaged electrode holders and insulation; incorrectly stored compressed gas cylinders; unmarked and unchecked fire extinguishers; and slipping hazards from an oil spill in a work area.
"OSHA has inspected this company on five occasions going back to 1997, resulting in numerous violations, including many we found again on this most recent inspection," said OSHA Area Director Kathy Webb, North Aurora, Ill.
"I want to keep people in the loop and let them know it’s not over. I want people to leave the presentation with the idea that this is something that can really happen and can affect their business and company, and they need to take protective measures,” said Larry D. Riley, compliance consultant with the Workplace Safety Awareness Council, who will present “The Swine Flu Pandemic: Urban Myths and Real Solutions for Your Facility” at the event.