Text For Citation: 01 Item/Group: 001 Hazard: CHEMICAL

Section 5(a)(1) of the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970: 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: HYDROGEN SULFIDE GAS GENERATED BY THE MIXING OF THE CONTENTS OF THE ETCH TANKS, WHICH CONTAIN SODIUM TETRASULFIDE AND SODIUM HYDROXIDE, WITH THE ANODIZING TANKS, WHICH CONTAIN SULFURIC ACID, WHEN THE TANKS ARE DRAINED SIMULTANEOUSLY INTO THE PLANT'S WASTEWATER TREATMENT SYSTEM. THE SIMULTANEOUS DRAINING OF THE TANKS INTO A COMMON TROUGH ALLOWS THE ACID TO REACT WITH SODIUM TETRASULFIDE AND LIBERATE HYDROGEN SULFIDE. AMONG OTHER METHODS, ONE FEASIBLE AND ACCEPTABLE ABATEMENT METHOD WOULD BE TO REMOVE SODIUM TETRASULFIDE FROM THE FORMULATION OF THE ETCH TANKS.