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Violation Detail
Standard Cited: 5A0001 OSH Act General Duty Paragraph
This violation item has been deleted.
Inspection Nr: 311425474
Citation: 01001
Citation Type: Serious
Abatement Status:
Initial Penalty: $6,300.00
Current Penalty:
Issuance Date: 05/05/2008
Nr Instances: 1
Nr Exposed: 145
Abatement Date: 06/07/2008
Gravity: 10
Report ID: 0134000
Contest Date: 05/27/2008
Final Order: 12/19/2008
Related Event Code (REC): A
Emphasis:
| Type | Latest Event | Event Date | Penalty | Abatement Due Date | Citation Type | Failure to Abate Inspection |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Penalty | F: Formal Settlement | 12/19/2008 | 06/07/2008 | Serious | ||
| Penalty | Z: Issued | 05/05/2008 | $6,300.00 | 06/07/2008 | Serious |
Text For Citation: 01 Item/Group: 001 Hazard: BURNS
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 burns and bodily injury from the hot ash and steam from leaking or ruptured pressure-retaining items. The following conditions contributed to the existence of the hazard: a) Location - Boiler House, Unit #3: On or about November 6, 2007 Dominion Energy New England operated a pressurized coal fired Babcock & Wilcox that was insufficiently inspected and examined in the lower vestibule/dead air space which contains steam at approximately 600 Degrees Fahrenheit under 1000 psig. Three employees were fatally injured on November 6, 2007, when the boiler tubes ruptured in the lower vestibule/dead air space. * The lower vestibule/dead air space had not been entered and inspected in over 9 years. No appropriate testing had been preformed to determine the conditions in the lower vestibule/dead air space in that length of time. * Ash was allowed to accumulate in the lower vestibule/dead air space over a long period which does not allow for entry into and inspection of that area. Among other methods, feasible means of abatement would be to: 1. Conduct Operation, Care/Maintenance, and Inspection of power boilers following the most recent National Codes such as ANSI/NB-23, ASME Section 7 Care of Power Boilers and guidance from Electric Power Research Institute and the manufacturer, Babcock and Wilcox. Including cleaning out the ash and debris from the vestibule/dead air space to allow for the inspection. 2. Determine a lower vestibule/lower dead air space inspection interval based on sound engineering principles and scientific data. 3. Install alarm system associated with power boiler operating parameters (eg., feed water make-up, electrostatic precipitator load/current changes, boiler pH, furnace pressure, boiler sodium and leaks in vestibules). 4. Install Leak Acoustic Monitoring system in vestibules.