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

29 CFR 1910.1000(e): To achieve compliance with paragraphs (a) through (d) of this section, administrative or engineering controls must first be determined and implemented whenever feasible. When such controls are not feasible to achieve full compliance, protective equipment or any other protective measures shall be used to keep the exposure of employees to air contaminants within the limits prescribed in this section. Any equipment and/or technical measures used for this purpose must be approved for each particular use by a competent industrial hygienist or other technically qualified person. Whenever respirators are used, their use shall comply with 1910.134: At a facility located at 206 Charles Street, Oconto, WI 54153; the employer did not determine and implement feasible administrative or engineering controls to achieve compliance with paragraph (a) of this section: a) On April 2, 2021, a Small Parts Finisher employee was exposed to an 8-hour time weighted average (TWA) of 16.6 mg/m^3 for total dust fraction of particulate not otherwise regulated (PNOR), approximately 1.1 times the Permissible Exposure Limit (PEL) of 15 mg/m^3. The exposure level was derived from a sample collected over a 478 minute sampling period with zero exposure assumed for the unsampled period of 2 minutes. b) On April 2, 2021, a Small Parts Finisher employee was exposed to an 8-hour time weighted average (TWA) of 19.7 mg/m^3 for the total dust fraction of PNOR, approximately 1.3 times the Permissible Exposure Limit (PEL) of 15 mg/m^3. The exposure level was derived from a sample collected over a 468 minute sampling period with zero exposure assumed for the unsampled period of 12 minutes. c) On April 2, 2021, a Finisher employee was exposed to an 8-hour time weighted average (TWA) of 16.9 mg/m^3 for the total dust fraction of PNOR, approximately 1.1 times the Permissible Exposure Limit (PEL) of 15 mg/m^3. The exposure level was derived from a sample collected over a 488 minute sampling period with zero exposure assumed for the unsampled period of 0 minutes. d) On April 2, 2021, a Finisher employee was exposed to an 8-hour time weighted average (TWA) of 16.8 mg/m^3 for the total dust fraction of PNOR, approximately 1.1 times the Permissible Exposure Limit (PEL) of 15 mg/m^3. The exposure level was derived from a sample collected over a 488 minute sampling period with zero exposure assumed for the unsampled period of 0 minutes. Applicable engineering or administrative controls may include, but are not limited to the following: 1) Conduct thorough air studies in the Finisher and Small Parts Finisher areas to verify PNOR sources, existing controls, employee proximity to sources and job tasks which expose employees in order to determine the most effective engineering and administrative controls. 2) Implement the use of vacuum assisted sanding equipment in order to capture the majority of dust at point of generation. Supplement vacuum assisted sanding equipment with local exhaust dust collection in the form of dust collectors (large fixed systems or small portable systems) utilizing flexible ducting that can be relocated near the point of generation. Utilize the dust collection system to capture dust in tasks where vacuum assisted sanding equipment is ineffective or unusable. 3) Supplement local exhaust ventilation methods (number 2 above) with increased general dilution ventilation. Increase air changes with proper air filtering to remove dust that escapes the local exhaust ventilation controls from the work areas. This can be achieved through improving the HVAC system and/or installing additional dust collection equipment.