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

OSH ACT of 1970 Section (5)(a)(1): 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 explosion and struck-by hazards: a) Steelmaking, Vacuum Tank De-Gasser Unit (VTD): On or about November 30, 2016 and at times prior, employees were exposed to explosion and struck by hazards in that maintenance, inspection and testing procedures were not employed to ensure that the flow switch interlock device stopped VTD operations when water flow was below safe operating parameters. The Programmable Logic Controller (PLC) was also programmed with a code that prevented: 1) automatic execution of the shutdown procedure, and 2) the operator station from displaying the flow switch status. The operator began a heat cycle during an unreported low-flow condition which ultimately resulted in a steam explosion. Abatement Note: Abatement certification and documentation are required for this item (see enclosed Certification of Corrective Action Worksheet).