OSHA Inspection: TREEN BOX & PALLET CORP

Issued

2013-11-19 00:00:00

Abate by

2014-01-08 00:00:00

Penalty

Initial $2800.00 · Current $1250.00 Reduced

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1910.23(c)(1): Open-sided floors and/or platforms four feet or more above adjacent floor or ground level were not guarded with standard railings (or equivalent) and toeboards.  Note:  Toeboards are only required when persons can pass, there is moving equipment or there is equipment with which falling materials could create a hazard:    (a) Maintenance Building - Employees accessed the mezzanine storage area in order to get items out of storage or to put items into storage.  The storage area had a height above the floor of 7 feet 9 inches and had an open side 15 feet 11 inches long that had no railing at all to prevent employees from falling from this open side to the floor below, on or about July 23, 2013.    Abatement certification required within 10 days after abatement date. The certification shall include a statement that abatement is complete, date and method of abatement, and state employees and their representatives were informed of this abatement.

Issued

2013-11-19 00:00:00

Abate by

2014-01-08 00:00:00

Penalty

Initial $2100.00 · Current $1250.00 Reduced

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1910.23(e)(1): Standard railings did not consist of top rail, intermediate rail and/or posts and/or did not have a vertical height of 42 inches (106.7 cm) nominal from upper surface of top rail to floor, platform runway, or ramp level:    (a) Shop 3 - The employer had installed wooden stairs and a platform for employees to use to get over the conveyor for the small bandsaw.  The platform did not have a standard railing in that the existing railing consisted of a top rail 32 inches high with no mid-rail, exposing employees to a hazard of falling to a lower level or onto moving equipment, on or about July 23, 2013.    Abatement certification required within 10 days after abatement date. The certification shall include a statement that abatement is complete, date and method of abatement, and state employees and their representatives were informed of this abatement.

Issued

2013-11-19 00:00:00

Abate by

2014-01-08 00:00:00

Penalty

Initial $0.00 · Current $0.00

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1910.23(e)(2): Stair rails did not consist of a top rail, intermediate rail and/or posts, with the vertical height not more than 34 inches (86.36 cm) nor less than 30 inches (76.2 cm) from upper surface of top rail to surface of tread in line with face of riser at forward edge of tread:    (a) Shop 3 - The employer had installed wooden stairs and a platform for employees to use to get over the conveyor for the small bandsaw.  The two sets of stairs, each with seven risers, did not have a standard stair railing in that the existing railings did not have mid-rails, exposing employees to a hazard of falling to a lower level or onto moving equipment, on or about July 23, 2013.    Abatement certification required within 10 days after abatement date. The certification shall include a statement that abatement is complete, date and method of abatement, and state employees and their representatives were informed of this abatement.

Issued

2013-11-19 00:00:00

Abate by

2013-12-22 00:00:00

Penalty

Initial $2800.00 · Current $1250.00 Reduced

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1910.95(d)(1): When information indicated that any employee's exposure equaled or exceed the 8-hour time-weighted average of 85 decibels, the employer did not develop and implement a monitoring program:    (a) Bandsaw Shop, Main Mill, and Shop 2, and Shop 3 - Employees used equipment, including, but not limited to, multiple cut band resaws for ripping lumber into multiple planks; a KM-16 trimmer for cross-cutting multiple pieces of lumber at a time to length; automatic nailers used to assemble pallets; air-powered nail guns; jump saws; a radial arm saw and; a strap notcher; which generated noise levels ranging from 87 dBA to 100 dBA, and the employer did not develop and implement a noise monitoring program, on or about July 23, 2013.    Abatement certification required within 10 days after abatement date. The certification shall include a statement that abatement is complete, date and method of abatement, and state employees and their representatives were informed of this abatement.

Issued

2013-11-19 00:00:00

Abate by

2013-12-22 00:00:00

Penalty

Initial $2800.00 · Current $1250.00 Reduced

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1910.133(a)(3):  The employer did not ensure that each affected employee who wore prescription lenses while engaged in operations that involved eye hazards wore eye protection that incorporated the prescription in its design, or wore eye protection that could be worn over the prescription lenses without disturbing the proper position of the prescription lenses or the protective lenses:    (a) Treen Box & Pallet Corp., 400 Center Road, Mifflintown, Pennsylvania - Employees used equipment, including, but not limited to, multiple cut band resaws for ripping lumber into multiple planks; a KM-16 trimmer for cross-cutting multiple pieces of lumber at a time to length; automatic nailers used to assemble pallets; air-powered nail guns; jump saws; a radial arm saw and; a strap notcher; which generated flying particles, and employees who wore prescription glasses wore regular prescription glasses rather than safety eye protection that incorporated the prescription in its design or safety eye protection that could be worn over the prescription lenses, exposing these employees' eyes to a struck-by hazard, on or about July 23, 2013.    Abatement certification required within 10 days after abatement date. The certification shall include a statement that abatement is complete, date and method of abatement, and state employees and their representatives were informed of this abatement.

Issued

2013-11-19 00:00:00

Abate by

2013-12-22 00:00:00

Penalty

Initial $3500.00 · Current $2525.00 Reduced

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1910.147(c)(1): The employer did not establish a program consisting of an energy control procedure, employee training and periodic inspections to ensure that before any employee performed any servicing or maintenance on a machine or equipment where the unexpected energizing, startup or release of stored energy could occur and cause injury, the machine or equipment shall be isolated from the energy source and rendered inoperative:    (a) Treen Box & Pallet Corp., 400 Center Road, Mifflintown, Pennsylvania - Employees performed servicing and maintenance activities on a variety of machinery and equipment, including, but not limited to, band resaws, automatic pallet nailers, pallet stackers, and the Flying Dutchman silo unloader, and the employer did not develop and implement an energy control program, consisting of machine specific energy control procedures, group lockout/tagout, periodic inspections, employee training, etc., on or about July 23, 2013.    Abatement certification required within 10 days after abatement date. The certification shall include a statement that abatement is complete, date and method of abatement, and state employees and their representatives were informed of this abatement.

Issued

2013-11-19 00:00:00

Abate by

2013-12-22 00:00:00

Penalty

Initial $0.00 · Current $0.00

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1910.147(c)(4)(ii): Procedures did not clearly and specifically outline the scope, purpose, authorization, rules, and techniques to be utilized for the control of hazardous energy, and the means to enforce compliance including, but not limited to, 29 CFR 1910.147(c)(4)(ii)(A), (c)(4)(ii)(B), (c)(4)(ii)(C) and (c)(4)(ii)(D):  (a) Treen Box & Pallet Corp., 400 Center Road, Mifflintown, Pennsylvania - Employees performed servicing and maintenance activities on a variety of machinery and equipment, and the employer implemented one generic lockout/tagout procedure that covered every piece of this machinery and equipment.  This generic procedure did not identify whether machinery and equipment had more than one energy source, for example, the automatic pallet nailers for building pallets, which had electric and pneumatic energy, did not specify where to lockout/tagout each type of energy, and did not identify the location of the energy isolation points, on or about July 23, 2013.  Abatement certification required within 10 days after abatement date. The certification shall include a statement that abatement is complete, date and method of abatement, and state employees and their representatives were informed of this abatement.

Issued

2013-11-19 00:00:00

Abate by

2013-12-22 00:00:00

Penalty

Initial $0.00 · Current $0.00

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1910.147(c)(5)(ii)(B): Lockout and tagout devices were not standardized within the facility in at least one criteria: color, shape, or size:  (a) Treen Box & Pallet Corp., 400 Center Road, Mifflintown, Pennsylvania - Employees performed servicing and maintenance activities on a variety of machinery and equipment, including, but not limited to, band resaws, automatic pallet nailers, pallet stackers, and the Flying Dutchman silo unloader.  The employer did not have standardized lockout locks throughout the establishment but rather had available a variety of locks, including a square silver Master lock with a black stripe, a square silver Master lock with a blue stripe, a square Master lock painted green with a blue stripe, square silver locks, and a rectangular red lock, on or about July 23, 2013.  Abatement certification required within 10 days after abatement date. The certification shall include a statement that abatement is complete, date and method of abatement, and state employees and their representatives were informed of this abatement.

Issued

2013-11-19 00:00:00

Abate by

2013-12-22 00:00:00

Penalty

Initial $0.00 · Current $0.00

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1910.147(d)(4)(i): Lockout or tagout devices were not affixed to each energy isolating device by authorized employees:  (a) Band Saw Room - The band saw blade on the first saw of the West Plains band resaw broke, and the operator applied a lockout lock to the emergency stop, which constitutes control circuitry, rather than to an energy isolating device, such as an electrical disconnect switch, while the operator changed the blade, exposing the employee to hazards associated with unexpected energization or start up, on or about July 23, 2013.  Abatement certification required within 10 days after abatement date. The certification shall include a statement that abatement is complete, date and method of abatement, and state employees and their representatives were informed of this abatement.

Issued

2013-11-19 00:00:00

Abate by

2014-01-08 00:00:00

Penalty

Initial $2800.00 · Current $2525.00 Reduced

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1910.213(h)(1): Radial saws did not have an upper hood that completely enclosed the upper portion of the blade down to a point including the end of the saw arbor, and the sides of the lower exposed portion of the blade of radial saws were not guarded to the full diameter of the blade by a device that automatically adjusted itself to the thickness of the stock and remained in contact with the stock being cut:    (a) Shop 3 - The Northfield Uni-Point radial saw, model X36AR, used to cut notches in wood, did not have an upper hood that covered the saw arbor and did not have either side of the lower exposed portion of the blade guarded, exposing employees to the hazard of getting cut by the rotating blade, on or about July 23, 2013.    Abatement certification required within 10 days after abatement date. The certification shall include a statement that abatement is complete, date and method of abatement, and state employees and their representatives were informed of this abatement.

Issued

2013-11-19 00:00:00

Abate by

2014-01-08 00:00:00

Penalty

Initial $0.00 · Current $0.00

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1910.213(h)(4): Radial saws were not installed in a manner so as to cause the cutting head to return gently to the starting position when released by the operator:  (a) Shop 3 - The Northfield Uni-Point radial saw, model X36AR, used to cut notches in wood, did not return to the starting position when released by the operator, exposing employees to the hazard of getting cut by the rotating blade, on or about July 23, 2013.  Abatement certification required within 10 days after abatement date. The certification shall include a statement that abatement is complete, date and method of abatement, and state employees and their representatives were informed of this abatement.

Issued

2013-11-19 00:00:00

Abate by

2014-01-08 00:00:00

Penalty

Initial $2800.00 · Current $1250.00 Reduced

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1910.219(c)(4)(i): Unguarded projecting shaft ends did not present a smooth edge and end and projected more than one half the diameter of the shaft:    (a) Band Saw Room - An unguarded horizontal shaft end, less than 3 feet above the floor, on the conveyor between the "D" Duster and the Pendu Pallet Stacker, did not have a smooth edge because of the key way in the shaft end.  Also, this shaft end had a diameter of 1 inch and projected 2.5 inches, exposing employees to a caught in rotating parts hazard, on or about July 23, 2013.    Abatement certification required within 10 days after abatement date. The certification shall include a statement that abatement is complete, date and method of abatement, and state employees and their representatives were informed of this abatement.

Issued

2013-11-19 00:00:00

Abate by

2014-01-08 00:00:00

Penalty

Initial $2800.00 · Current $1250.00 Reduced

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1910.219(d)(1): Pulleys with parts seven feet or less from the floor or work platform were not guarded in accordance with the requirements specified in 29 CFR 1910.219(m) and (o):    (a) Main Mill - The two pulleys, with a top pulley height of about 3 feet above the floor, that drove the cutting tool on the strap notcher had no guarding, exposing employees to a caught in hazard, on or about July 23, 2013.    Abatement certification required within 10 days after abatement date. The certification shall include a statement that abatement is complete, date and method of abatement, and state employees and their representatives were informed of this abatement.

Issued

2013-11-19 00:00:00

Abate by

2014-01-08 00:00:00

Penalty

Initial $0.00 · Current $0.00

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1910.219(e)(3)(i): Vertical or inclined belts were not enclosed by guards conforming to the requirements specified at 29 CFR 1910.219(m) and (o):    (a) Main Mill - The inclined belts, with a top height of about 3 feet above the floor, that drove the cutting tool on the strap notcher had no guarding, exposing employees to a caught in hazard, on or about July 23, 2013.    Abatement certification required within 10 days after abatement date. The certification shall include a statement that abatement is complete, date and method of abatement, and state employees and their representatives were informed of this abatement.

Issued

2013-11-19 00:00:00

Abate by

2013-12-22 00:00:00

Penalty

Initial $2800.00 · Current $1250.00 Reduced

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1910.242(b): Compressed air used for cleaning purposes was not reduced to less than 30 p.s.i.:    (a) Maintenance Building - An employee used a compressed air nozzle to blow down the work area at the surface grinder.  The compressed air nozzle had a tip pressure measured at 85 p.s.i., exposing the employee to the hazard of skin penetration with compressed air or the hazard of getting struck by a particle dislodge by the compressed air, on or about July 23, 2013.    Abatement certification required within 10 days after abatement date. The certification shall include a statement that abatement is complete, date and method of abatement, and state employees and their representatives were informed of this abatement.

Issued

2013-11-19 00:00:00

Abate by

2013-12-22 00:00:00

Penalty

Initial $2100.00 · Current $1250.00 Reduced

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1910.1200(e)(1): The employer did not develop, implement and maintain at the 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, and which also includes (e)(1)(i), a list of hazardous chemicals and (e)(1)(ii), the methods the employer will use to inform employees of nonroutine tasks:    (a) Treen Box & Pallet Corp., 400 Center Road, Mifflintown, Pennsylvania - Employees had exposure to hazardous chemicals, including, but not limited to, mixed hardwood dusts, and the employer did not develop, implement, and maintain a hazard communication program, on or about July 23, 2103.    Abatement certification required within 10 days after abatement date. The certification shall include a statement that abatement is complete, date and method of abatement, and state employees and their representatives were informed of this abatement.

Issued

2013-11-19 00:00:00

Abate by

2013-12-22 00:00:00

Penalty

Initial $0.00 · Current $0.00

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1910.1200(g)(8): The employer did not maintain copies of the required material safety data sheets for each hazardous chemical in the workplace:    (a) Treen Box & Pallet Corp., 400 Center Road, Mifflintown, Pennsylvania - Employees operated various woodworking machinery and equipment, including, but not limited to, band resaws, jump saws, A strap notcher, A radial arm saw, a Newman Whitney KM-16 multiple trimmer saw, etc., to make wooden pallets.  This machinery and equipment generated wood dust.  The employer did not maintain a copy of material safety data sheets for the mixed hardwoods used to make the pallets, on or about July 23, 2013.    Abatement certification required within 10 days after abatement date. The certification shall include a statement that abatement is complete, date and method of abatement, and state employees and their representatives were informed of this abatement.

Issued

2013-11-19 00:00:00

Abate by

2013-12-22 00:00:00

Penalty

Initial $0.00 · Current $0.00

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1910.146(c)(2): The employer did not inform exposed employees, by posting danger signs or by any other equally effective means, of the existence and location of and the danger posed by the permit spaces:    STANDARD MODIFIED FROM 1910.146(c)(2) to 29 CFR 1910.146(c)(7)(iii) PER FORMAL SETTLEMENT AGREEMENT ON FINAL ORDER DATE 6/4/14      (a) Silo - The employer did not post danger signs or use other methods to inform employees of the location and dangers posed by entry into or under the silo used to collect wood dust.  This silo met the definition of a confined space as follows:  the silo had a size and configuration that permitted employees to bodily enter and do work; a fixed ladder attached to the side provided the only access into and out of the top inside of the silo; a small opening through which an employee would have to walked stooped over provided the only access into and out of the bottom of the silo; and the silo was designed, not for continuous employee occupancy, but to collect wood dust.  The silo constituted a permit-required confined space because the silo had the following characteristics:  a hazard of engulfment from the wood dust and hazards of struck-by or caught-in from the rotating shaft and chain inside the silo, from the belts and pulleys at the bottom of the silo, from conveyor belts used to move the wood dust, and from other power transmission apparatus, on or about July 23, 2013.    Abatement certification required within 10 days after abatement date. The certification shall include a statement that abatement is complete, date and method of abatement, and state employees and their representatives were informed of this abatement.