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

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 levels of carbon monoxide which exceeded the ceiling level of 200 ppm established by the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health to prevent pulmonary and cardiovascular damage: a) Shop Area: A Clark forklift was emitting approximately 6(60,000 ppm) carbon monoxide causing workplace air to become contaminated with more than 200 ppm carbon monoxide. Non- smoking employees had carboxyhemoglobin levels between 13.2 and 22.9 percent after one hour of exposure. Abatement Note: OSHA retested this forklift ten days after a day of maintenance by a forklift company. Emissions at idle were approximately 6and approximately 2.5 with a load on the engine. The testing indicated that this forklift continues to pose a serious health hazard to your workers. Among other methods this hazard can be controlled by the following actions: 1. Purchase of a new forklift. 2. Rigorous and frequent maintenance of the current forklift. 3. Prohibiting use of the forklift inside your facility.