Text For Citation: 01 Item/Group: 002 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 the employer failed to control possible sources of static electricity thereby exposing employees to explosion hazards: (a)Talon Manufacturing Company Inc., Plant #7, Lower Alpoca, Demilitarization Procedure for Detonators. The employer was using non-conductive plastic, 55 gallon drums as process vessels for the chemical destruction of detonators and leads, which contained tetryl and or lead azide explosives with no means to ground the vessels and prevent the accumulation of static electricity on the surface of the drum. There was the potential for the formation of hydrogen gas on the surface of the solution in the detonator destruction drum which could ignite from a static spark. AMONG OTHER METHODS, ONE FEASIBLE AND ACCEPTABLE ABATEMENT METHOD TO CORRECT THIS HAZARD IS: a.Prohibit the use of nonconductive plastic drums unless they are used with proper grounding or bonding techniques.ve