OSHA has cited Pride Plating Inc. with alleged willful, repeat and serious violations following an inspection at the company’s facility in Grove. Proposed penalties total $209,000.

“Employees should not be exposed to safety and health hazards,” said David Bates, OSHA’s area director in Oklahoma City, Okla. “In this case, the significant penalty of $209,000 demonstrates OSHA’s commitment to eliminating safety and health hazards in the workplace.”

OSHA’s Oklahoma City Area Office began its investigation March 4 at the company’s facility at 2900 East Highway 10. A willful violation citation was issued for failure to perform periodic monitoring after initial monitoring indicated workers were exposed to chromium VI in excess of OSHA’s permissible exposure limit.

A citation for 10 repeat violations was issued for failure to provide safe walking surfaces, provide personal protective equipment for workers exposed to chromium, prevent workers from being overexposed to chromium VI, and properly train workers who have been exposed to chromium, caustics and corrosives used in the facility.

A serious citation noting three violations was issued for failure to provide adequate washing facilities for workers exposed to chromium VI, and failure to prohibit tobacco products in chromium-regulated areas. A serious violation means there is substantial probability that death or serious physical harm could result from a hazard about which the employer knew or should have known.

OSHA also issued a notice of failure-to-abate citation to Pride Plating relating to three violations: the company’s failure to implement a respiratory program, institute a medical surveillance program for workers overexposed to chromium VI, and develop and implement a hazard communication program for workers exposed to caustics and corrosives. A failure-to-abate citation is issued when an employer has not corrected a violation for which OSHA previously issued a citation and the abatement date has passed.

Pride Plating employs about 90 workers in Grove, Oklahoma.

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OSHA has issued a new compliance directive for occupational exposure to hexavalent chromium (Cr(VI)). The directive, OSHA Instruction CPL 02-02-074, Inspection Procedures for the Chromium (VI) Standards, was effective January 24, 2008. The Cr(VI) standards were originally published in the Feb. 28, 2006 Federal Register.

This new directive provides guidance for enforcement of the final rule on hexavalent chromium standards.  OSHA anticipates these efforts will reduce the risks of exposure to Cr(VI), thereby improving the safety and health of employees affected by this hazard.

The standards became effective on May 30, 2006. Employers with 20 or more employees were given six months from the effective date to comply with most of the provisions. Employers with less than 20 employees were allowed 12 months from the effective date to come into compliance with most of the provisions. All employers were given four years from the effective date to install feasible engineering controls.

The Cr(VI) standards are applicable to general industry, construction, and shipyards. Highlights of the new Cr(VI) directive include procedures for reviewing an employer’s air sampling records to determine exposure levels; guidance on how employers can implement effective engineering and work practice controls to reduce and maintain exposure below approved permissible exposure limits; requirements for employers to provide hygiene areas to minimize employees’ exposure to Cr(VI); guidelines requiring employers to maintain exposure and medical surveillance records; and a requirement that CSHOs evaluate portland cement wherever it is being used.

The standards lower the permissible exposure limit for hexavalent chromium to 5 micrograms of Cr(VI) per cubic meter of air as an 8-hour time-weighted average. Hexavalent chromium compounds are regularly used in the chemical industry in pigments, metal plating, and chemical synthesis. Significant health effects associated with exposure to Cr(VI) are lung cancer, nasal septum ulcerations and perforations, skin ulcerations, and allergic and irritant contact dermatitis.

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