Posts Tagged ‘safety inspection’
Thursday, August 9, 2012 @ 06:08 PM gHale
East Liverpool, OH-based Heritage-WTI Inc. which operates a hazardous waste incinerator faces fines of more than $150,000 for failing to review and annually certify operating procedures for the process of safety management of hazardous chemicals, said Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) officials.
Heritage-WTI earned a citation for willful violation. A willful violation is one committed with intentional knowing or voluntary disregard for the law’s requirements, or with plain indifference to worker safety and health, OSHA said.
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“Employers must provide safe working conditions, especially for employees who work with highly hazardous chemicals,” said Howard Eberts, OSHA’s area director. “These citations basically mean that Heritage-WTI failed to create safety procedures and then review those procedures to ensure their effectiveness.”
A safety inspection in December 2011 occurred after an employee died while manually separating the contents of 55-gallon drums containing metal wastes and residue.
In that incident, Thomas Bailey, 52, of Glenmoor, died when two explosions occurred, causing a flash fire. His was the first employee death at the facility.
Another man suffered an injury in the same incident. In March of this year, three employees ended up in the hospital after becoming ill while working with a chemical used in a variety of ways, including blue jean dye, polyurethane and medications.
The December inspection resulted in a June 12 notice from OSHA containing citations for nine violations, most deemed serious and carrying fines totaling $30,600.
A serious violation occurs when there is substantial probability that death or serious physical harm could result from a hazard about which the employer knew or should have known.
Among the serious violations, the company did not ensure employees performing splitting operations on 55-gallon metal drums containing metal wastes had protection from combustible metals deflagration, explosion or other fire hazards.
That citation noted the company allowed employees to use steel garden hoes and shovels and failed to bond and ground the equipment.
Among citations from that inspection were those involving lack of training, unguarded floor openings and ladderways, failure to develop and implement an emergency response plan, no periodic inspections of energy control procedures for equipment and unguarded roller conveyors.
There were also several “other-than-serious” violations.
A health inspection took place in February as a follow-up to the December safety review, resulting in the above-mentioned “willful” violation carrying the $63,000 fine and 10 “serious” violations for which the company faces an additional $63,000 fine for a total of $126,000.
The serious violations from the health inspection involve failing to conduct a process hazard analysis on the kiln, provide documentation proving the kiln complies with good engineering practices, address problems found in process hazard analyses and correct deficiencies in the kiln’s written operating procedures.
According to a prepared statement from Heritage-WTI, the company has responded to the proposed findings, and discussions are on-going with the agency.
“The company, moreover, has cooperated fully with agency personnel for their investigation, providing documents, interviews and inspections of the plant upon request,” the release said.
“Heritage-WTI looks forward to continued cooperation with (the) agency with the goal of making the company’s robust safety program even stronger. The company is committed to the well-being of all associates in the workplace and strives for continuous improvement of its safety program.”
Monday, June 4, 2012 @ 04:06 PM gHale
A coal mine, run by the former operators of the Kentucky Darby mine where a 2006 explosion killed five miners, closed for nine days in May after a surprise federal safety inspection uncovered dozens of safety violations.
“This is really serious stuff,” said federal Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) chief Joseph Main. “These are the kind of conditions that lead to mine explosions.”
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The May 16 inspection of K and D Mining Inc.’s Mine No. 17 in Harlan County found little or no ventilation where miners were working, thick accumulations of coal dust that can cause black lung and explosions, a broken methane gas warning light, conveyor belts covered in coal dust that was as much as 9 inches deep in places and rubbing against metal (a potential fire danger), and a mining machine with 22 electrical violations hazards and clogged water sprays.
An inspector at one point wrote the mine operator “has engaged in aggravated conduct constituting more than ordinary negligence.” Other citations repeatedly noted K and D’s “reckless disregard” for safety.
The main track into the mine was not properly maintained, miners were working under unsupported roofs, fire suppression equipment failed to work, the backup power generator for the mine did not start, trash and other combustible material piled up in one of the mine’s escape routes, and the locations of breathing devices were not properly marked, MSHA inspectors found.
In all, K and D ended up with 43 citations and orders, including an order to close until they fixed the safety violations. The mine reopened May 25, Main said.
“We should not be mining coal like this in this day and age in this country, when we know the consequences when these kinds of conditions exist,” Main said.
Civil penalties are not yet available for the violations. MSHA records do show the mine has had $487,837 in penalties since 2010, and hasn’t paid any of that total.
K and D is run by Ralph Napier, John D. North and Jack H. Ealy.
Napier and North were the operators of Kentucky Darby Mine No. 1 in Harlan County, where a methane blast on May 20, 2006, killed five miners. MSHA found Kentucky Darby improperly sealed a section of the mine, failed to follow proper methods for repairing the seal and failed to train miners in using escapeways and breathing equipment.
Tuesday, March 27, 2012 @ 03:03 PM gHale
Federal inspectors issued 253 citations and orders last week during special impact inspections conducted at 15 coal mines, six of which were in Kentucky, and two metal/nonmetal mines last month, federal Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) officials said.
The coal mines got 235 citations and eight orders, while the metal/nonmetal operations received 23 citations and six orders.
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Five of the coal mines earned inspections because of frequent hazard complaints. Investigations of 20 anonymous complaints between March 1, 2011, and March 1, 2012, at these five mines resulted in citations when allegations in 12 of the complaints proved true.
These inspections, which began in force in April 2010 following the explosion at the Upper Big Branch Mine, involve mines that merit increased agency attention and enforcement due to their poor compliance history or particular compliance concerns, including high numbers of violations or closure orders; frequent hazard complaints or hotline calls; plan compliance issues; inadequate workplace examinations; a high number of accidents, injuries or illnesses; fatalities; and adverse conditions such as increased methane liberation, faulty roof conditions and inadequate ventilation.
As an example from last month, MSHA conducted an impact inspection Feb. 28 at Glen Alum Operations LLC’s Upper Cedar Grove No. 4 Mine near Wharncliffe, WV, in response to an anonymous complaint submitted the previous day. The complaint said 11 unsafe conditions relating to electrical, roof control and combustible material hazards existed underground. Inspectors issued 23 citations and three orders, 14 of which were significant and substantial.
The first violation cited by inspectors occurred when an employee called underground to provide advance notification of the inspectors’ presence. The gravity of this violation became even more important because of the number of violations and hazardous conditions encountered in the mine, so the initial citation ended up modified.
One closure order was for inadequate permissibility examinations on electrical equipment, and two unwarrantable failure orders were for inadequate preshift inspections of the section and belt conveyor entries. MSHA also found and cited conditions such as inadequate or missing firefighting equipment, improper maintenance of dust suppression sprays on the continuous mining machine, accumulations of combustible material, electrical violations, equipment that was in an unsafe operating condition and missing lifeline reflectors.
“Due to the recent rash of fatalities at coal surface facilities, the majority of last month’s impact inspections focused on surface operations,” said Joseph A. Main, assistant secretary of labor for mine safety and health.
An impact inspection occurred during the day shift Feb. 9 at Clintwood Elkhorn Mining Inc.’s Laurel Branch Surface Mine in Hurley, VA. The inspection team issued 32 citations, 22 designated as significant and substantial. Upon arriving at the mine, MSHA inspectors reviewed its examination records and inspected highwalls, explosive magazines and 33 pieces of equipment. They issued 11 citations for accumulations of combustible materials – including oil, hydraulic fluids and/or coal dust – on the engine compartments of front end loaders, excavators, dozers and trucks.
Laurel Branch also failed to maintain effective drill dust control on three drills used in the coal seam pit. The inspector observed large plumes of dust emitting from the doors on the dust box, between the drill steel and chip deflector, and from the flap of the broken drill skirt. These conditions exposed the powder crew, located 40 feet away, to high silica rock dust as well as the risk of developing silicosis and other respiratory impairments.
The operator ended up with four citations for not properly maintaining dry chemical fire suppression systems and fire extinguishers in a usable and operative condition on dozers. Laurel Branch relied upon its contractor, Logan Corp., to properly check these fire suppression systems. As a result, MSHA cited the contractor twice for failure to examine and maintain firefighting equipment. These conditions, in combination with heat generated by engine, transmission, battery and fuel pump components, exposed mobile equipment operators to fire and smoke inhalation hazards.