UNITED STATES
DEPARTMENT OF LABOR

Text For Citation: 01 Item/Group: 003 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 employees were exposed to potential burns and chemical hazards associated with an ethyl ether spill: a.) Ether unloading station. The rail tank car from which ether was unloaded on 10/18/91 did not have the wheels chocked in both directions to prevent movement of the car. Among other methods, one feasible and acceptable abatement method to correct this hazard is to properly chock the wheels in both directions as addressed in Hercules, Inc. procedure #4-2-1F, Rev. 7, Section 5.1.4. b.) Building 2546. Ether was tranferred into two storage tanks simultaneously on 10/18/91. Among other methods, one feasible and acceptable abatement method to correct this hazard is to fill storage tanks one at a time as addressed in Hercules, Inc. procedure #4-2-1F, Rev. 7, Section 6.4. c.) Building 2546, ether transfer operation. On 10/18/91 the supervisor did not determine which storage tank were to be used in the transfer operation. Among other methods, one feasible and acceptable abatement method to correct this hazard is for the supervisor to select which tanks are to be used in ether transfer operations as addressed in Hercules, Inc. procedure #4-2-1F, Rev. 7, Section 6.5 NOTE.