Workers were injured while vacuuming explosive dust inside a PRCS to clean out a natural gas processing unit.
A mechanical and piping systems services company was cited with seven violations. Among these are failing to evaluate permit-required confined space (PRCS) conditions, verify that conditions in a PRCS were acceptable for entry, identify acceptable entry conditions, and conduct a process hazard analysis to determine the fire protection and explosion prevention provisions necessary when vacuuming combustible dust. Proposed penalties total $49,000.
The owner and operator of the facility were cited with seven violations, including failing to establish or implement an emergency action plan, maintaining ladders in a safe condition and evaluating a prospective rescue service’s ability to function appropriately while rescuing workers from a permit space. Proposed penalties total $34,300.
Two companies each were cited with three violations. They are an industrial services company and a safety and health monitoring company. Both failed to protect employees from being struck by or caught between a crane’s rotating superstructure and to maintain material safety data sheets that are readily accessible to employees. Proposed penalties total $18,900 and $14,700 for the industrial services company and the safety and health monitoring company, respectively.
A Crane company was cited with two violations for failing to ensure the crane was level and blocked when necessary and to protect workers from being struck by or caught between a crane’s rotating superstructure. Proposed penalties total $8,400.
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