OSHA Inspection: SIPI METALS CORP.

Issued

Apr 11, 2024

Abate by

Sep 2, 2025

Penalty

Initial $13,066 · Current $10,000 Reduced

General-duty citation text

OSH ACT of 1970 Section (5)(a)(1): The employer did not furnish employment and a place of employment which were free from recognized hazards that were causing or likely to cause death or serious physical harm to employees in that employees were exposed to combustible particulate solids deflagration, explosion, and fire hazards while working near the indoor dust collections system for the Chopper Line within the Precious Metals (PM) Department.  (a) On or about October 23, 2023, at the Chopper Line within the Precious Metals (PM) Department - the indoor Donald Torit model TD-486 dust collector, serving the Chopper Line's granulator equipment and enclosed conveyor outlet and collecting combustible particulate solids E-waste, presented deflagration, explosion, and fire hazards to employees.  The dust collector lacked means of explosion protection.  The dust collector lacked means of deflagration propagation protection (isolation).  The dust collector discharged exhaust air directly into the occupied building.  The dust collector's ducts were not free from accumulation of material.

Issued

Apr 11, 2024

Abate by

May 7, 2024

Penalty

Initial $9,334 · Current $0 Reduced

General-duty citation text

29 CFR  1910.22(a)(1): 29 CFR 1910.22(a)(1): The employer did not ensure that all places of employment, passageways, storerooms, service rooms, and walking-working surfaces are kept in a clean, orderly, and sanitary condition.  (a) On or about October 23, 2023, the employer did not ensure that the area around the Chopper process within the Precious Metals Department of the facility in a clean, orderly, and sanitary condition. Accumulations of dust in the areas around the equipment were allowed to accumulate over the course of the 3 days of processing and resulted in large accumulations that provided additional fuel during the fire incident at the Chopper/Granulator, and resulted in smoldering fires after an initial deflagration, which ultimately resulted in fire within the dust collector at the facility.

Issued

Apr 11, 2024

Abate by

Jun 17, 2024

Penalty

Initial $13,066 · Current $7,500 Reduced

General-duty citation text

29 CFR  1910.120(q)(1): The employer did not develop and implement an emergency response plan to handle anticipated emergencies prior to commencement of emergency response operations:  (a) On or about October 23, 2023, the employer did not implement an emergency response plan to handle anticipated emergencies within the Precious Metals Department prior to commencement of emergency response operations when a fire occurred in the Chopper Department. Employees participating in the fire fighting during the incident were exposed to smoke inhalation and fire hazards.

Issued

Apr 11, 2024

Abate by

Aug 9, 2024

Penalty

Initial $0 · Current $0

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1910.120(q)(3)(iv): Employees engaged in emergency response and exposed to hazardous substances presenting an inhalation hazard or potential inhalation hazard, did not wear positive-pressure self-contained breathing apparatus until such time that the individual in charge of the incident command system determined through the use of air monitoring that a decreased level of respiratory protection would not result in hazardous exposures to employees:  (a) On or about October 23, 2023, the employer did not ensure that employees engaged in emergency response and potentially exposed to hazardous substances were wearing positive-pressure self-contained breathing apparatuses until such time that the individual in charge of the incident command system determined through air monitoring that a decreased level of respiratory protection would not result in hazardous exposures to employees. Employees who remained in the area observing the fire fighting and using fire extinguishers on the fire within the dust collector were exposed to potential inhalation hazards from the discharge of smoke and toxic gases and hazardous metal smoke or fumes from the hazardous material burning at the facility.

Issued

Apr 11, 2024

Abate by

Aug 9, 2024

Penalty

Initial $13,066 · Current $7,500 Reduced

General-duty citation text

29 CFR  1910.120(q)(6): The employer did not provide training in accordance with 29 CFR 1910.120(q)(6)(i) through (q)(6)(v) for employees who participated in or were expected to participate in emergency response:  (a) On or about October 23, 2023, the employer did not provide training in accordance with 29 CFR 1910.120(q)(6)(i) through (q)(6)(v) to employees who participated in the emergency response operations during a fire within a dust collector containing hazardous materials. Employees who remained in the area during fire fighting of the fire within the dust collector were exposed to potential inhalation hazards from the discharge of smoke and toxic gases and hazardous metal smoke or fumes from the hazardous material burning at the facility.

Issued

Apr 11, 2024

Abate by

May 14, 2024

Penalty

Initial $0 · Current $0

General-duty citation text

29 CFR  1910.157(g)(1): An educational program was not provided for all employees to familiarize them with the general principles of fire extinguisher use and the hazards involved with incipient stage fire-fighting:  (a) On and before October 23, 2023, the employer did not provide employees who used fire extinguishers to participate in fire fighting efforts with an educational program to employees to familiarize them with the general principles of fire extinguisher use and the hazards or designation of incipient stage fire-fighting. This resulted in employees engaged in fire-fighting with ABC fire extinguishers during the incident on October 23, 2023, being exposed to smoke inhalation, metal smoke inhalation, fire exposure hazards, and explosion/deflagration hazards.

Issued

Apr 11, 2024

Abate by

May 14, 2024

Penalty

Initial $0 · Current $0

General-duty citation text

29 CFR  1910.157(g)(2): The educational program to familiarize employees with the general principles of fire extinguisher use and the hazards involved with incipient stage fire fighting was not provided to all employees upon initial employment, and at least annually thereafter:  (a) On and before October 23, 2023, the employer did not provide employees in the Precious Metal Department or the Maintenance Department with training in an educational program to familiarize employees with the general principles of fire extinguisher use and the hazards involve with incipient stage fire fighting or the recognition of incipient stage fires, upon initial employment, and at least annually thereafter. Employees engaged in fire fighting when the dust collector within the Chopper Area of the Precious Metals Department ignited, and fire extinguishers were used on a fire that was beyond the incipient stage. Employees were exposed to potential inhalation hazards from the discharge of smoke and toxic gases from burning cellulose and plastic materials as well as hazardous metal smoke or fumes from the hazardous material at the facility.

Issued

Apr 11, 2024

Abate by

May 14, 2024

Penalty

Initial $13,066 · Current $0 Reduced

General-duty citation text

29 CFR  1910.38(e):The employer did not designate and train employees to assist in a safe and orderly evacuation of other employees:  (a) On or about October 23, 2023, the employer did not train employees to evacuate in the case of emergencies during fire incidents within the precious metals department. During the incident on October 23, 2023, employees remained in the area to fight the fire within the dust collector, while other employees remained watching the firefighting, exposing employees within the area to smoke inhalation and fire hazards.

Issued

Apr 11, 2024

Abate by

May 7, 2024

Penalty

Initial $13,066 · Current $7,500 Reduced

General-duty citation text

29 CFR  1910.212(a)(1):One or more methods of machine guarding was not provided to protect the operator and other employees in the machine area from hazards such as those created by point of operation, ingoing nip points, rotating parts, flying chips and sparks:  (a) On or about October 23, 2023, the employer did not provide guarding that would prevent employees from hazards created by the point of operation of the Shear, R.E.S. Corp., Model 800 hydraulic shear installed on the bed of the upper shake table to be used by operators in the Chopper Department of the Precious Metals Department. Employees were exposed to struck by hazards during use of the shear to cut tape mounted electronic integrated circuits into approximately 24-inch sections before feeding that material into the granulator.

Issued

Apr 11, 2024

Abate by

May 14, 2024

Penalty

Initial $13,066 · Current $7,500 Reduced

General-duty citation text

29 CFR  1910.1200(g)(2)(ii): The chemical manufacturer or importer preparing the safety data sheet did not ensure that it included Section 2, Hazard identification and associated information under each heading, was present.   (a) On or about October 23, 2023, the employer did not include combustible dust hazards in the safety and health hazards within Section 2 of the Safety Data Sheet for Electronic Materials. Employees working in the precious Metals (PM) Department were exposed to safety and health hazards during a combustion event on October 23, 2023.

Issued

Apr 11, 2024

Abate by

May 14, 2024

Penalty

Initial $0 · Current $0

General-duty citation text

29 CFR  1910.1200(h)(3)(ii): Employees were not trained on the physical, health, simple asphyxiation, combustible dust, and pyrophoric gas hazards, as well as hazards not otherwise classified, of the chemicals in the work area:  (a) On and before October 23, 2023, the employer did not provide training to employees within the Precious Metals Department regarding the physical and health hazards of chemicals within the work area. Employees were not aware of the lead content in the electronic waste streams processed through the precious metals department or the combustible dust hazards created by the fractionated material once the material has been processed through the shredder or fractionator.