OSHA responded to a report of unsafe working conditions May 17, 2016, after two employees lost consciousness and collapsed. The workers were exposed to hazardous gas while entering a sewer system. OSHA investigators found the company allowed the workers inside a confined space without having tested the space for hazards. OSHA issued citations for six serious violations and one willful violation. The agency also cited the company for failing to maintain gas testing meters and rescue equipment, and for not training all employees in confined space entry. OSHA proposed penalties of $152,147. Here is the breakdown of the citations:
Citation 1 Item 1
Type of Violation: Serious; $8,730
29 CFR 1910.1200(g)(8): The employer did not ensure that material safety data sheets were readily accessible to the employees in their work area during each work shift:
On or about 05/1712016, at 3600 Nicholls Street, Monroe, LA, employees were conducting sewer maintenance in a manhole and were not provided safety data sheets (SDSs) at the jobsite.
Citation 1 Item 2
Type of Violation: Serious; $8,730
29 CFR 1910.1200(h)(1): Employees were not provided effective information and training on hazardous chemicals in their work area at the time of their initial assignment and whenever a new hazard that the employees had not been previously trained about was introduced into their work area:
On or about 05/17/2016, at 3600 Nicholls Street, Monroe, LA, employees were conducting sewer maintenance in a manhole and were not provided hazard training at the jobsite.
Citation 1 Item 3
Type of Violation: Serious; $8,730
29 CFR 1926.1204(d)(1): Each entry employer must provide the following equipment at no cost to each employee, maintain that equipment properly, and ensure that each employee uses that equipment properly: (l)Testing and monitoring equipment needed to comply with paragraph (e) of this section;
On or about 05/17/2016, at 3600 Dick Taylor Street, Monroe, LA, employees were conducting sewer repairs in a sewer manhole and the employer’s gas meter was broken. As a result employees were allowed to enter the permit required space without the atmosphere being tested.
Citation 1 Item 4
Type of Violation: Serious; $8,730
29 CFR 1926.1204(d)(8): Each entry employer must provide the following equipment at no cost to each employee, maintain that equipment properly, and ensure that each employee uses that equipment properly:
(8) Rescue and emergency equipment needed to comply with paragraph (i) of this section, except to the extent that the equipment is provided by rescue services; On or about 05/17/2016, at 3600 Dick Taylor Street, Monroe, LA, employees were conducting sewer repairs inside a sewer manhole and the winch on the employer’s tripod was broken.
Citation 1 Item 5
Type of Violation: Serious; $8,730
29 CFR 1926.1204(e)(1)(i):
(i) Each entry employer must perform pre-entry testing to the extent feasible before entry is authorized;
On or about 05/17/2016, at 3600 Dick Taylor Street, Monroe, LA, employees were conducting sewer repairs in a sewer manhole and the employer failed to perform pre-entry testing of the atmosphere before employees entered the manhole.
Citation 1 Item 6
Type of Violation: Serious; $8,730
29 CFR 1926.1207(a): The employer must provide training to each employee whose work is regulated by this standard, at no cost to the employee, and ensure that the employee possesses the understanding, knowledge, and skills necessary for the safe performance of the duties assigned under this standard.
This training must result in an understanding of the hazards in the permit space and the methods used to isolate, control or in other ways protect employees from these hazards, and for those employees not authorized to perform entry rescues, in the dangers of attempting such rescue
On or about 05/17/2016, at 3600 Dick Taylor Street, Monroe, LA, employees conducting sewer repairs inside a sewer manhole were not provided training regarding confined spaces.
Citation 2 Item 1
Type of Violation: Willful; $99,767
29 CFR 1926.1204(c): Each entry employer must (c) Develop and implement the means, procedures, and practices necessary for safe permit space entry operations, including, but not limited to, the following:
(i) Specifying acceptable entry conditions;
(2) Providing each authorized entrant or that employee’s authorized representative with the opportunity to observe any monitoring or testing of permit spaces;
(3) Isolating the permit space and physical hazard(s) within the space; and
(4) Purging, inerting, flushing, or ventilating the permit space as necessary to eliminate or control atmospheric hazards:
On or about 05/17/2016, at 3600 Dick Taylor Street, Monroe, LA, employees were conducting sewer repairs in a sewer manhole and the employer failed to develop and implement the practices for safe permit space entry which included monitoring for oxygen content, for flammable gases and vapors, and for potential toxic air contaminants prior to employee entry into the sewer and continuously or periodically thereafter.
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