Safetec...OSHA recently cited Gilster-Mary Lee Corporation, a pasta manufacturing facility located in Steeleville, Illinois for six safety violations as a result of severe injuries sustained by two of its employees after a dust collector exploded on October 6, 2011.
OSHA’s proposed settlement is: $231,000.
At the time of the incident, the two maintenance workers were repairing a hole in the side of a metal trough containing a screw conveyor that was leaking granulated sugar within several feet of an operational dust collector. The dust collector exploded due to a spark from the welding operations.
Of the six violations, three of them were classified as willful. Therefore, OSHA has placed the company in its severe violator enforcement program, which will require the company to meet certain compliance obligations through follow up inspections by OSHA.
The citations can be viewed at: http://www.osha.gov/ooc/citations/GilserMaryLeeCorporation_107443_04062012.pdf
Combustible Dust Information
Combustible dust is an OSHA National Enforcement Program and OSHA continue to pursue aggressive enforcement action when facilities fail to comply with the standard. According to OSHA a combustible dust is any combustible material (and some materials normally considered noncombustible) can burn rapidly when in a finely divided form. Materials that may form combustible dust include metals (such as aluminum and magnesium), wood, coal, plastics, biosolids, sugar, paper, soap, dried blood, and certain textiles.
Often employers are not even aware that they may have a combustible dust hazard. See OSHA’s website on combustible dust for further information: http://www.osha.gov/dsg/combustibledust/index.html
