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

Section 5(a)(1) of the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970: The employer does not furnish to each of his employees employment and a place of employment which are free from the recognized hazards of being struck by equipment and materials caused by a draw gas furnace explosion which are causing or likely to cause death or serious physical harm to employees: The employer does not have a written operating procedure readily available that provides clear instruction for the operation and maintenance of the draw gas furance. On or about October 18, 2010, and at times prior to, employees were required to conduct, operate, maintain, or repair the draw gas furnace, manufactured by Electric Furnace Company of Salem, Ohio in 1981, which is located in the Ball Mill Area. This condition exposed employees to hazards such as but not limited to; explosion, fire, and struck by hazards. Explosion did occur, resulting in an employee being fatally injured. Some feasible means of abatement may include, but are not limited to the following: 1) Implementation of a written procedure to include manufacturer's recommendations for the draw gas furnace. Such a procedure should include elements as the following: a) procedure to start up the draw gas furnace; b) procedure to operate the draw gas furnace; c) procedure to shut down the draw gas furnace; d) annual review of procedures to ensure no changes have been implemented; e) review of procedures when a change is implemented; f) Implement management of change in the event that the procedure has changed or have been altered; g) Implementation of checklist such as but not limited to operational, regular, weekly, monthly, and periodic checklist; h) follow and comply with the draw gas furnace manufacturer's instruction and recommended work practices; i) other relevant items to comply with are the NFPA 86, 1995, Standard for "Ovens and Furnaces", or equivalent, for the design, installation and operation of the furnace (reference sections 1-4 * Approvals, Plans and Specifications, 1-4.1, 1-4.1.1, 1-4.1.2, 1-4.2; Chapter 10: Inspection, Testing and Maintenance, 10-1, 10-1.1,10-1.2, 10-2*, 10-3, 10-4, 10-5, 10-6; Chapter 11: Fire Protection: 11-6, 11-6.1, 11-6.2, 11-6.3; Appendix B: Example of Operational and Maintenance Checklist, B-1, B-2, B-3, B-4, B-5.) Pursuant to 29 C.F.R. 1903.19, within ten (10) calendar days of the abatement date, the employer must submit documentation describing the actions it is taking to establish, communicate, and implement written procedures and program to ensure that proper operation of the gas furnace is implemented.