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

29 CFR 1910.120(q)(3)(iv): Employees engaged in emergency response and exposed to hazardous substances presenting an inhalation hazard or potential inhalation hazard, did not wear positive-pressure self-contained breathing apparatus until such time that the individual in charge of the ICS determined through the use of air monitoring that a decreased level of respiratory protection would not result in hazardous exposures to employees: (a) Empire Packing Company LP, at 65 Yuma Street, Denver, CO: On 5/15/17, the employer did not ensure that employees engaged in emergency response and exposed to hazardous substances presenting an inhalation hazard or potential inhalation hazard, wore positive-pressure self-contained breathing apparatus until such time that the individual in charge of the ICS determined through the use of air monitoring that a decreased level of respiratory protection would not result in hazardous exposures to employees. Employees were required to respond to ammonia leaks from the facility's refrigeration system. On 5/15/17 an employee responded to an ammonia leak alarm from the pork injection room. The alarm system was triggered when the detector measured a concentration of ammonia greater than 50 ppm. The alarm panel did not indicate what the concentration detected was. The employee wore a Scott full face tight fitting air purifying respirator during the response. The employee did not have a means of monitoring the concentration of ammonia during his response. This condition exposed the employee to a respiratory hazard.