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

ORS654.010: The employer did not furnish a place of employment which was safe and healthful for employees, and did not do every other thing reasonably necessary to protect the life, safety, and health of the employees as evidenced by the following: (a) On or about October 25, 2000, the employer at this site had an accumulation of combustible dust at line #4 that resulted in an employee receiving burns and subsequently died as a result of those burns. 1) The first deflagration occurred as an employee attempted to change a light bulb at the ceiling level. 2) Subsequent deflagrations occurred as result of the accumulations of wood dust that had collected on surfaces throughout line #4 being shook loose. (b) The employer at this site had an accumulation of combustible dust. Samples collected by OR- OSHA showed the following: 1) Analysis of the wood dust collected from the top of a light fixture, on or about November 11, 2001, showed that 92of the dust passed through a 40 mesh sieve and it was classified as combustible dust based on particle size. 2) Analysis of the wood dust collected from line #4, on or about Feburary 9, 2001, showed that 98of the dust passed through a 40 mesh size sieve and it was classified as combustible dust based on particle size. 3) According to an explosivity test (Kst test) performed by the federal OSHA lab, the wood dust sample that was collected on or about Feburary 9, 2001, was determined to be explosive. (c) On or about December 19,2000, the employer at this site had an accumulation of combustible dust greater than one eighth of an inch in the area of line #4 including, but not limited to, the thick layer of wood dust lying under the process line. NOTE: Reference "NFPA 664 Standards for the Prevention of Fires and Explosions in Wood Processing and Woodworking Facilities".