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

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 hazards of lacerations and impalement by plastic shrapnel associated with the potential explosive rupture of PVC pipe used to transport compressed air: On or about April 18, 2008, the compressed air system installed in the East and West Anodizing Departments used polyvinyl chloride (PVC) pipe, which was located within the work areas. The system operates at 80-100 psig. 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. Existing compressed gas systems using PVC piping must be completely enclosed, buried, or otherwise guarded according to specifications approved by a professional consulting engineer. The compressed gas system may also be replaced using products which have been suitably evaluated and are recommended by the manufacturer for the particular intended service. The hazards involved with using PVC pipe for compressed air have been recognized by the Plastic Pipe Institute, American National Standards Institute, and OSHA Hazard Information Bulletin.