OSHA Inspection: PPG INDUSTRIES, INC.

Issued

2024-10-18 00:00:00

Penalty

Initial $12676.00 · Current $9507.00 Reduced

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1910.28(b)(1)(i): Unprotected sides and edges.  (i) Except as provided elsewhere in this section, the employer must ensure that each employee on a walking-working surface with an unprotected side or edge that is 4 feet (1.2 m) or more above a lower level is protected from falling by one or more of the following:  a. On or about April 30, 2024, and at times prior, the employer did not ensure that employees and managers performing inspections from the working platform of the CR1 covered process following the fire that occurred were protected from falls from the unprotected side and edge where a guardrail had been removed. As a result, employees were exposed to fall hazards of up to approximately 9 feet.  b. On or about April 23, 2024, and at times prior, the employer did not ensure that employees operating and maintaining the CR1 covered process from the working platform were protected from falls from the unprotected side and edge where a guardrail had been removed. As a result, employees were exposed to fall hazards of up to approximately 9 feet.

Issued

2024-10-18 00:00:00

Abate by

2024-11-07 00:00:00

Penalty

Initial $16131.00 · Current $16131.00

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1910.119(e)(3): The process hazard analysis shall address:  29 CFR 1910.119(e)(3)(iv): Consequences of failure of engineering and administrative controls;  a. On or about April 23, 2024, and at times prior, the employer did not ensure that the 2017 and 2022 Process Hazard Analysis (PHA) for the CR1 Reactor System covered process addressed consequences of failure of engineering and administrative controls such as, but not limited to, the compression fitting joints. As a result, employees working on and in the vicinity of the CR1 covered process were exposed to fire, explosion, and contact hazards.

Issued

2024-10-18 00:00:00

Abate by

2024-11-07 00:00:00

Penalty

Initial $16131.00 · Current $0.00 Reduced

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1910.119(f)(1): The employer shall develop and implement written operating procedures that provide clear instructions for safely conducting activities involved in each covered process consistent with the process safety information and shall address at least the following elements.  29 CFR 1910.119(f)(1)(ii): Operating limits:  29 CFR 1910.119(f)(1)(ii)(B): Steps required to correct or avoid deviation.  a. On or about April 23, 2024, and at times prior, the employer did not ensure that written operating procedures were developed and implemented with operators for the CR1 Reactor covered process for how to safely correct and avoid deviations with the monomer feed pumps not priming. As a result, employees working on and within the vicinity of the CR1 covered process were exposed to fire, explosion, and contact hazards.

Issued

2024-10-18 00:00:00

Abate by

2024-11-22 00:00:00

Penalty

Initial $16131.00 · Current $0.00 Reduced

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1910.119(g)(1)(i): Each employee presently involved in operating a process, and each employee before being involved in operating a newly assigned process, shall be trained in an overview of the process and in the operating procedures as specified in paragraph (f) of this section. The training shall include emphasis on the specific safety and health hazards, emergency operations including shutdown, and safe work practices applicable to the employee's job tasks.  a. On or about April 23, 2024, and at times prior, the employer did not ensure that each employee involved in operating the CR1 Reactor covered process was adequately trained on the operating procedures including, but not limited to, the appropriate steps to address monomer feed pump priming deviations from normal operation, and the steps to take when experiencing start-up deviations from normal operation. As a result, employees working on and in the vicinity of the CR1 covered process were exposed to fire, explosion, and contact hazards.

Issued

2024-10-18 00:00:00

Penalty

Initial $16131.00 · Current $16131.00

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1910.119(i)(1): The employer shall perform a pre-startup safety review for new facilities and for modified facilities when the modification is significant enough to require a change in the process safety information.  a. On or about April 23, 2024, and at times prior, the employer did not ensure that a pre-startup safety review (PSSR) was conducted on the CR1 covered process prior to a process change being made resulting in the bypass of the fire alarm audible notification system in Building 2 resulting in changes to how employees were expected to respond to an emergency situation. As a result, employees working on and within the vicinity of the CR1 covered process were exposed to fire, explosion, and contact hazards.

Issued

2024-10-18 00:00:00

Abate by

2026-04-20 00:00:00

Penalty

Initial $16131.00 · Current $16131.00

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1910.119(j)(4)(iii): The frequency of inspections and tests of process equipment shall be consistent with applicable manufacturers' recommendations and good engineering practices, and more frequently if determined to be necessary by prior operating experience.  a. On or about April 23, 2024, and at times prior, the employer did not ensure that mechanical integrity inspections were performed in accordance with the applicable manufacturers' recommendations and good engineering practices per ASME Code 31.3 - 2016 for Process Piping, regarding the CR1 covered process and the two-piece 1-inch compression fitting joint from the pipe assembly of the fluid feed piping into the CR1 reactor. As a result, there was a compression fitting failure that resulted in the separation of the piping on the CR1 Reactor that caught an ignition source, thereby exposing employees working on and in the vicinity of the CR1 covered process to contact, explosion and fire hazards.

Issued

2024-10-18 00:00:00

Penalty

Initial $16131.00 · Current $0.00 Reduced

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1910.119(j)(5): Equipment deficiencies. The employer shall correct deficiencies in equipment that are outside acceptable limits (defined by the process safety information in paragraph (d) of this section) before further use or in a safe and timely manner, when necessary, means are taken to assure safe operation.  a. On or about April 23, 2024, and at times prior, the employer did not ensure that Building 2 and the associated CR1 reactor and other covered processes had its deficiencies corrected that were outside of acceptable limits in that the emergency alarm notification system was in bypass mode, slowing communications to all employees in Building 2 and safe evacuation in the case of an emergency. An explosion/fire occurred on or about April 23, 2024, when an employee went to pull the fire alarm in the CR1 control room, the audible alarm did not signal to let employees know to evacuate. As a result, employees working on and within the vicinity of the CR1 covered process in Building 2 were exposed to fire, explosion, and contact hazards.  b. On or about April 23, 2024, and at times prior, the employer did not ensure that the CR1 reactor covered process had its equipment deficiencies corrected that were outside of acceptable limits such as, but not limited to, the two-piece 1-inch compression fitting joint from the pipe assembly of the fluid feed piping into the CR1 reactor were installed within the acceptable limits in that two incompatible ferrules were installed. An explosion/fire occurred on or about April 23, 2024, when the incompatible ferrules had galling and working fluid seepage that resulted in the separation of the fitting. As a result, employees working on and within the vicinity of the CR1 covered process in Building 2 were exposed to fire, explosion, and contact hazards.

Issued

2024-10-18 00:00:00

Abate by

2024-11-07 00:00:00

Penalty

Initial $16131.00 · Current $16131.00

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1910.119(l)(1): The employer shall establish and implement written procedures to manage changes (except for "replacements in kind") to process chemicals, technology, equipment, and procedures; and, changes to facilities that affect a covered process.  b. On or about April 23, 2024, and at times prior, on the CR1 Reactor in Building 2, changes were made to the emergency alarm system where the manual alarms were put in bypass mode, changing how to address an emergency fire/explosion in the facility. The employer did not establish and implement a written procedure to manage this change in the emergency alarm system. When the explosion occurred on April 23, 2024,  an employee attempted to activate the manual alarm in the CR1 control room, but there was no response, and the employee was unsure of what actions to take to respond accordingly. As a result, employees working on and within the vicinity of the CR1 covered process were exposed to fire, explosion, and contact hazards.

Issued

2024-10-18 00:00:00

Abate by

2024-11-07 00:00:00

Penalty

Initial $16131.00 · Current $0.00 Reduced

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1910.119(l)(3): Employees involved in operating a process and maintenance and contract employees whose job tasks will be affected by a change in the process shall be informed of, and trained in, the change prior to start-up of the process or affected part of the process.  b. On or about April 23, 2024, and at times prior, employees operating the CR1 Reactor covered process and working in Building 2 were not informed of and trained in changes that were made to the emergency alarm system where the manual alarms were put in bypass mode, changing how to address an emergency fire/explosion in the facility prior to implementing the change. As a result, employees working on and within the vicinity of the CR1 covered process were exposed to fire, explosion, and contact hazards.

Issued

2024-10-18 00:00:00

Penalty

Initial $16131.00 · Current $8065.00 Reduced

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1910.307(c): Electrical installations. Equipment, wiring methods, and installations of equipment in hazardous (classified) locations shall be intrinsically safe, approved for the hazardous (classified) location, or safe for the hazardous (classified) location. Requirements for each of these options are as follows:  a. On or about April 23, 2024, and at times prior, located in the CR1 Reactor Room, there was an electrical installation labeled as intrinsically safe, that was not properly installed for the Class 1, Division 1, classified location, in that there was a screw missing that resulted in a gap and improper sealing of the electrical equipment. As a result, employees working on and in the vicinity of the CR1 PSM-covered process were exposed to fire and explosion hazards.

Issued

2024-10-18 00:00:00

Abate by

2026-04-20 00:00:00

Penalty

Initial $1423.00 · Current $1423.00

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1910.119(j)(4)(iv): The employer shall document each inspection and test that has been performed on process equipment. The documentation shall identify the date of the inspection or test, the name of the person who performed the inspection or test, the serial number or other identifier of the equipment on which the inspection or test was performed, a description of the inspection or test performed, and the results of the inspection or test.  a. On or about April 23, 2024, and at times prior, the employer did not document each inspection and test performed on process equipment associated with the CR1 covered process, including, but not limited to, the two-piece 1-inch compression fitting joint from the pipe assembly of the fluid feed piping into the CR1 reactor. As a result, employees working on and in the vicinity of the CR1 covered process were exposed to contact, explosion and fire hazards.