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

North Carolina General Statute 95-129(1) of the Occupational Safety and Health Act of North Carolina: The employer did not furnish each of his employees conditions of employment and a place of employment free from recognized hazards that were causing or likely to cause death or serious physical harm to employees in that employees were exposed to fire and explosion hazards: a)Mixing Room, Clean-Up Area, Sanding Department - the work tasks, including, but not limited to, sanding and cutting of styrene resin based furniture components, and mixing of various dust components to create the styrene resin based materials for casting, produced dust that was not properly contained. Particularly in the Mixing Room, at least 95of the horizontal surfaces, including the floor, had accumulated dust greater than one inch thick. The Sanding/Sawing Department and Clean-Up Area contained varying degrees of the dust ranging from 1/32 of an inch to several inches on the majority of horizontal surfaces, including but not limited to, the following: building supports (joists), cross braces, work surfaces, sanding and sawing equipment, flourescent light bulbs and housings, compressed air lines, water lines, electrical equipment, and sprinkler system piping. The accumulated dust consisted of the various components, including cornstarch, wheat flour, ground pecan nut shell flour, marble, boron oxide, and styrene in resin. Cornstarch, pecan nut shell flour, and wheat flour were listed in NFPA 499, 1997 edition, as Group G combustible dusts. There were various deficiencies in attempted controls for the dust, including, but not limited to, the following: there had been no process hazard analysis completed for the process, the housekeeping program was not effective in eliminating accumulated dust on overhead surfaces in the work area, there were no management of change procedures for ventilation systems carrying wood dust and the styrene resin based dust, fugitive dust control measures were not in place, there was the lack of an inspection, testing, and maintenance program for the ventilation system, the methods for adding dust to mixtures included only manual dumping, and the dust collection equipment duct work was not grounded and bonded. REFERENCE: National Fire Protection Agency Standard no.654: Standard for the Prevention of Fire and Dust Explosions from the Manufacturing, Processing, and Handling of Combustible Particulate Solids, 2006 edition. NOTE: Among other methods of abatement, one feasible and acceptable method to correct these hazards would be to follow the guidelines established in the National Fire Protection Agency Standard no.654: Standard for the Prevention of Fire and Dust Explosions from the Manufacturing, Processing, and Handling of Combustible Particulate Solids, 2006 edition.