OSHA cites company for respiratory failings

Alleged failure to comply with federal requirements regarding respiratory protection, including fit testing of respirators, led to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) citing Hahn & Clay of Houston for violations with proposed penalties of $81,450.

The violations were cited during an OSHA inspection that began in October in response to an employee complaint. OSHA cited the company, which manufactures oil and gas field equipment and employs about 325 workers, with 19 serious violations of the general industry regulations, which require employers to protect workers from hazards. Some of the serious violations include:

overexposures to airborne silica; inappropriate respiratory protection worn; no respiratory training; no medical evaluations conducted to determine employee’s ability to use a respirator; no respirator fit testing; no assurance that compressed air for breathing purposes met Grade D requirements; no high-temperature alarm on air compressors; poor housekeeping related to the accumulation of silica dust; no emergency eye-wash facility.

The company also was cited for two other-than-serious violations involving OSHA record-keeping requirements and failure to designate a respiratory protection program administrator.

An other-than-serious violation is a hazardous condition that would probably not cause death or serious physical harm, but would have a direct and immediate effect on the safety and/or health of employees.

Hahn & Clay may contest the fines but did not return phone calls seeking comment.