OSHA Inspection: NORTHSTAR BATTERY COMPANY LLC

Issued

2022-01-14 00:00:00

Abate by

2022-07-01 00:00:00

Penalty

Initial $0.00 · Current $40998.00

Hazardous substances 1591

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1910.1025(e)(1)(i): For any employees exposed to lead above the permissible exposure limit for more than 30 days per year where engineering and work practice controls (including administrative controls) were feasible but did not reduce the employees' exposure to or below the permissible exposure limit the employer did not use engineering and/or work practice controls to reduce exposures to the lowest feasible level:  Employees were exposed to toxic lead. Exposure concentrations were greater than the OSHA Permissible Exposure Limit (PEL) of fifty micrograms per cubic meter (50 ug/m3) of air averaged over an eight-hour period for more than 30 days per year. The employer failed to provide engineering and work practice controls that effectively reduced and maintained employee exposure below the OSHA PEL. This was most recently demonstrated on or about August 6, 2021, an employee paste mixing in Sub-Assembly was exposed to airborne lead at a level of 200.0 micrograms of lead per cubic meter of air as an eight-hour time-weighted average (8 hour TWA) for a monitoring period of approximately 453 minutes. The remaining un-sampled period of 37 minutes is assumed to have zero exposure.  Northstar Battery Company LLC was previously cited for a violation of this occupational safety and health standard or its equivalent standard 29 CFR 1910.1025(e)(1)(i), which was contained in OSHA inspection number 1255562, citation number 1, item number 1b and was affirmed as a final order on January 26, 2018, with respect to a workplace located at 4000 Continental Way, Springfield, MO.

Issued

2022-01-14 00:00:00

Abate by

2022-07-01 00:00:00

Penalty

Initial $68265.00 · Current $14502.00 Reduced

Hazardous substances 1591

General-duty citation text

1910.134(g)(2)(i)  Appropriate surveillance shall be maintained of work area conditions and degree of employee exposure or stress. When there is a change in work area conditions or degree of employee exposure or stress that may affect respirator effectiveness, the employer shall reevaluate the continued effectiveness of the respirator.  Employees were exposed to hazardous chemicals in the form of lead. This was demonstrated on or about August 6, 2021, and at times prior, when employees working in the sub-assembly area were not provided appropriate respirator surveillance at a time there was a change in working conditions or practices.

Issued

2022-01-14 00:00:00

Abate by

2022-07-01 00:00:00

Penalty

Initial $68265.00 · Current $0.00 Reduced

Hazardous substances 1591

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1910.1025(f)(1)(ii): Respirators for protection against lead were not used or were not provided when engineering and/or work-practice controls were not sufficient to reduce employee exposures to or below the permissible exposure limit:  Employees engaged in work practices that included lifting their respirators away from their faces to facilitate communication. Employees working in the sub� assembly area were observed failing to maintain a seal while wearing respirators resulting in improper respiratory protection work practices  Northstar Battery Company LLC was previously cited for a violation of this occupational safety and health standard or its equivalent standard 29 CFR 1910.1025(f)(1)(ii), which was contained in OSHA inspection number 1255562, citation number 1, item number 2 and was affirmed as a final order on January 26, 2018, with respect to a workplace located at 4000 Continental Way, Springfield, MO.