Text For Citation: 01 Item/Group: 001 Hazard: DUST&FUMES

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 a fire and explosion hazard due to the generation of aluminum dust: (a)Olde Country Reproductions, Grinding and Polishing Areas - Employees did not have non- sparking tools for the repair and adjustment of equipment and clean-up was not with a natural fiber bristle broom. The dust collector for the grinding room was located inside of the building in the maintenance shop, and recycled the air back into the maintenance shop. The collector did not have any deflagration vents to release excessive pressure in the event of an aluminum dust explosion. The emptying of the dust collector was by shoveling the fine aluminum dust in the collection pan and placing the fines into a fifty-five-gallon drum without mixing the aluminum dust to a ratio of five to one with an inert material. The collector did not collect all of the fines that were generated by the grinding operations, on or about March 8,2005. "AMONG OTHER METHODS, ONE FEASIBLE AND ACCEPTABLE ABATEMENT METHOD TO CORRECT THIS HAZARD IS TO PROVIDE NON-SPARKING TOOLS AND NATURAL FIBER BRISTLE BROOMS NEED TO BE PROVIDED FOR CLEANING, REPAIR AND ADJUSTMENT OF EQUIPMENT. RELOCATE THE DUST COLLECTOR OUTSIDE OF THE BUILDING AND AVOID THE RECYCLING OF AIR BACK INTO THE WORK ENVIRONMENT. THE COLLECTOR MUST BE DESIGNED WITH DEFLAGRATION VENTS TO RELEASE PRESSURE IN THE EVENT OF A DUST EXPLOSION, AND EMPTYING THE COLLECTOR MUST BE WITH A NON-SPARKING SHOVEL MIXING THE FINES WITH A INERT MATERIAL TO A RATIO OF FIVE TO ONE, THE VENTILATION DUCTS LEADING TO THE COLLECTOR MUST BE REDESIGNED AND REPOSITIONED TO COLLECT ALL OF THE FINES GENERATED BY THE GRINDING OPERATIONS IN THOSE AREAS WHERE FINE ALUMINUM DUST IS CREATED DUE TO PROCESSING OR FINISHING OPERATIONS, AS OUTLINED IN THE NATIONAL FIRE PROTECTION ASSOCIATION SAFETY STANDARD FOR COMBUSTIBLE METALS, METAL POWDERS, AND METAL DUSTS (NFPA 484 - 2002)" VERIFICATION REQUIRED