Text For Citation: 01 Item/Group: 001 Hazard: STRUCK BY

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 employee(s) were exposed to the hazard of an explosion or fire due to the ignition of a combustible dust by static discharge: a)Extruder Area: Non-conducting flexible duct lines used to connect the metal pellet supply lines to the extruders create a potential for static build up during the transfer of pellets. If a combustible concentration of dust is present during the transfer, static discharge could result in an explosion and/or fire, exposing employees to the hazards of serious thermal burns and/or being struck by debris (in the event of an explosion). Among others, one feasible means of abatement to correct this hazard would be to follow the recommendations of NFPA 654, "Standard for Prevent of Fire and Dust Explosions from the Manufacturing, Processing and Handling of Combustible Particulate Solids," 2000 Edition. Section 5.3.1 of this standard states:" All system components shall be conductive. Bonding and grounding with a resistance os less than 1.0 x 106 ohms to ground shall be provided."