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

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 recognized hazard of being struck by fragments of plastic pipe due to the pipes potential for explosive shattering when used to transport compressed air. On or about May 10, 2012, the compressed air system was installed throughout the manufacturing area(s) using Schedule 40 polyvinyl chloride (PVC) pipe operating at 160psi. The pipe was used for main system lines and for multiple drops to outlets. PVC pipe and fittings do not possess shatter resistant properties and the brittle PVC material can be broken or shattered by external forces and stress. This pipe is designed for transmittal of liquids which do not possess the high amounts of stored energy present in compressed gases. This hazard has been recognized by the manufacturer of this PVC product, the Plastic Pipe Institute, the American National Standards Institute, and OSHA through an official Hazard Information Bulletin. Among other methods, suitable abatement actions include the complete enclosure, burial, or otherwise guarding of the installation according to specifications approved by a professional consulting engineer, or the installation of the compressed air system using products which have been suitably evaluated and are recommended by the manufacturer for the particular intended service.