Fontarome Chemical, a pharmaceutical manufacturing company located in St Francis, WI (just outside of Milwaukee), received 17 citations from OSHA after an investigation following a fire at their facility last year. Most of the citations and accompanying proposed fines of $51,800 had to do with process safety management.
Several of the citations involved lockout/tagout, arc flash assessment, and ensuring employees have the proper personal protective equipment when working on electrical. That means fire rated clothing, the proper eye protection, face shield and hearing protection.
What’s important for companies to learn from this:
- If you are handling chemicals, make sure you review your processes on a regular basis and update your procedures if things change.
- Conduct an arc flash assessment, including single line diagrams and properly labeling electrical panels. Make any recommended changes to reduce the arc flash hazards.
- Ensure employees working on electrical (including voltage testing) have the proper training and personal protective equipment.
For more information on the Fontarome Chemical citation see OSHA’s press release.