Certainteed LLC: OSHA inspections and violations

Incident on Nov 2, 1990: Employee injured by cleaning compound in eyes

Employee #1 was operating a vinyl siding extruder. Employee #1 noticed a blemish on the siding, and with the help of a supervisor and another employee, Employee #1 attempted to clean the die with a product called Chromex-500. This product c ontained ammonia, an aliphatic hydrocarbon solvent, and water. It is mildly irri tating. The material is normally applied to the die while it is still hot. The m aterial comes in a bottle and requires vigorous shaking to get it to a useable c onsistency. Employee #1 put one capful on the die and was shaking the bottle aga in to pour another capful. Employee #1 splashed the material in her eyes. She wa s immediately taken to the hospital. Employee #1 was not wearing eye protection during the operation.

Incident on Jan 22, 1989: Four employees exposed to carbon monoxide

Employees #1 through #4 were working in a warehouse moving materials with a Clar k LP gas forklift. They had worked from 6:00 a.m. to 11:15 a.m. before complaini ng of dizziness, headache, and blurred vision. They were all evacuated. Carboxyh emoglobin levels obtained at the hospital showed carbon monoxide exposure levels of 653 ppm. No personal protective equipment had been used. Carbon monoxide rea dings at the forklift showed levels greater than 100 ppm.

Incident on Aug 12, 1985: Fingers crushed by rollers

ON AUGUST 12, 1985, EMPLOYEE #1 WAS WORKING ON THE SECOND SHIFT IN THE ACCESORIE S DEPARTMENT, USING THE FOUR WHEEL HAUL-OFF MACHINE TO RUN OFF 2 3/4 INCH "J" TR IM PROFILE. THE LINE HAD GONE DOWN SEVERAL TIMES. THE EMPLOYEES WERE RESTRINGING THE HAUL-OFF FOR THE THIRD TIME WHEN THE ACCIDENT OCCURRED (6:55 PM.) THE FOUR WHEEL HAUL-OFF MACHINE WAS EQUIPPED WITH TWO SETS OF TWO, EIGHT INCH ROLLERS, WH ICH HOLD AND PULL THE VINYL AFTER IT HAS BEEN EXTRUDED, FORMED, AND COOOLED. WHE N RESTRINGING THE MACHINE. THE FRONT OF THE BARRIER GUARD, WHICH ENCLOSES THE RO LLERS, MUST BE REMOVED. THE TOP TWO ROLLERS ARE RAISED, LEAVING AT LEAST ONE INC H BETWEEN THE TOP AND BOTTOM ROLLERS. EMPLOYEE #1 AND TWO OTHER EMPLOYEES HAD RE STRUNG THE VINYL THROUGH THE ROLLERS, THE ROLLERS HAD BEEN LOWERED, BUT THE GUAR D HAD NOT BEEN REPLACED. WHEN THE VINYL STARTED COMING OFF THE ROLLERS, EMPLOYEE #1, USING HIS LEFT HAND, BEGAN TO TWIST THE VINYL TO KEEP IT ON THE ROLLER. HE PLACED HIS HAND BETWEEN THE ADJUSTABLE GUIDE ROLLS AND THE FIRST SET OF ROLLERS, VERY NEAR THE IN RUNNING NIP POINT. WHILE TWISTING THE VINYL, HE LOOKED AWAY FO R A SECOND, AND HIS LITTLE FINGER AND RING FINGER ENTERED THE PINCH POINT. HE PU LLED HIS FINGERS FROM BETWEEN THE IDLERS, CAUSING AN AVULSION OF THE LITTLE FING ER. THE RING FINGER WAS CRUSHED, AND HE RECEIVED A MINOR FRACTURE OF THE WRIST. EMPLOYEE #1 VIOLATED COMPANY PROCEDURE BY PLACING HIS HANDS IN THE AREA WITHIN T HE BARRIER GUARD AFTER THE TOP ROLLERS HAD BEEN LOWERED. THE PROPER METHOD TO BE USED TO KEEP THE VINYL ON THE ROLLERS IS TO HOLD THE VINYL OUTSIDE THE GUARD AT THE POINT WHERE IT FEEDS THROUGH THE SIDE OF THE GUARD. NEWLY HIRED EMPLOYEES A RE GIVEN ONE DAY OF FORMAL TRAINING. THEY ARE SHOWN TWO FILMS ON MACHINE GUARDIN G, AND ARE TAKEN ON A TOUR OF THE PLANT AND SHOWN HOW THE MACHINES ARE PROPERLY GUARDED. THE EMPLOYEES RECEIVE ON-THE-JOB TRAINING FOR SPECIFIC EQUIPMENT OPERAT ION.