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 the hazard of explosion of various unstable nitrated compounds, such as picric acid (trinitrophenol), resulting from the nitration of epoxy resin encapsulants at the bisphenol moiety by nitric acid: a) New Acid Room - The employer did not perform a comprehensive analysis of a chemical process to determine the safety of that process. On or about January 25, 2002. Feasible Abatement Method: 1) Prior to start up of any chemical process, perform a thorough hazard analysis to ensure safe manipulation of the starting materials, intermediate compounds and final products. The analysis shall include (but not be limited to) such procedures as a literature search specific to the process and it's hazards, pilot plant testing on a small scale to determine extreme behavior of the process and define safe limits of operation. Other methods as developed by the employer or his/her agents shall be included in the analysis as they are generated and documented.