Text For Citation: 01 Item/Group: 003 Hazard: BURNS

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 a consistent heat-up rate was not maintained during a 10-day heat-up of a zinc distillation column which potentially allowed for greater variation in the temperature of the column. (a) Facility, Zinc Refinery Building: A consistent heat-up rate was not consistently maintained during the 10-day heat-up of B Column beginning on June 30, 2010. On multiple occasions temperatures in the column were increased at a higher rate that the company's own target rate of 4 degrees C/hour as set fourth in the company's written heat-up schedule. The results of this inconsistent heat-up rate include, but are not limited to: multiple instances when column temperatures were as much as 60 degrees to 100 degrees C higher than targeted temperatures as set forth in the company's written heat-up schedule; and multiple instances when temperatures in the sump area of the column were more than 100 degrees C lower than targeted temperatures as set forth in the company's written heat-up schedule. Among other methods, one feasible and acceptable means of abatement is: to implement flow gauges or regulators on the currently-used flame-safe heaters, to more accurately determine the amount of gas flow (and, thereby determining the temperature of the heat being produced); to monitor the average temperatures of the six thermocouples currently available on the column during heat up; to install additional thermocouples throughout the column to better monitor temperature distribution; to set standards among operators regarding how much deviation from the target temperature during heat-up is allowable; and to improve burner placement to eliminate direct heating or overheating of refractory trays.