Unit VIII Case Study

Read the background information and scenario description in sections I and II, then answer the questions in section III. Be sure you read the complete directions for preparing your case study.

I. Background: OSHA Standards and Bubba’s Materials Handling Equipment, Inc.

Bubba’s Materials Handling Equipment is a small corporation that employs between 38 and 55 employees throughout any given year. This firm manufactures materials handling equipment that includes small cantilever racks; hand trucks, some specially designed for moving 55-gallon drums; and various dollies commonly used in the manufacturing sector. The facility was built in 1958 and is roughly 80,000 square feet. The firm receives raw materials in the form of round metal tubing, sheet metal, square tubing, and cold and hot rolled metal rods.

Raw materials are removed from flatbed trailers using a large LP-gas-powered forklift with the assistance of smaller LP- gas-powered forklifts. These materials are stored in racks in the receiving department. From there, raw materials are moved via forklift and various heavy duty carts to the fabrication department. This department cuts, punches, bends, copes, and shears the various materials into parts used to make the final product.

The metal fabrication equipment includes two iron workers, two 70-ton part revolution mechanical power punch presses, three 250-ton part revolution press brakes, a 300-ton hydraulic press, two pipe benders, a 12-foot shear, a 10-foot shear, a mill for milling a bevel on hand truck toe plates, several off-hand grinders, and two large drill presses. The fabrication department can get quite noisy for days at a time (>85dBa), especially when making cantilever racks. Two maintenance employees keep these machines running. After being cut, punched, bent, and formed, fabricated parts go to the welding department or the Work in Process (WIP) crib. WIP includes a mezzanine and an area populated with pallet racks for storage.

In the welding department, there are 12 MIG welding machines that are used by welders to assemble the parts into the pre-finished items manufactured by the firm. The welders also use an assortment of hand-held grinders and an oxyacetylene torch. Once welded, items either go in their pre-finished condition into inventory or are further processed by the painting department. Pre-finished items that are inventoried are taken to one of two mezzanines or placed in storage racks. In the painting department, items are wiped down with various solvents and hung on an overhead hook conveyor. Items go into the paint booth where they are painted using various enamels. Xylenes and toluene are common solvents used in this operation. The paints also contain these solvents.

After painting, axles and wheels are applied, and the completed products are boxed or, depending on their size, loaded directly on trucks without packaging. Larger items, such as racks, are loaded onto flatbeds using an unmanned overhead crane controlled by a pendant control. Smaller items are typically loaded onto standard semi-trailers using battery- powered forklifts or pallet jacks.

II. The Scenario:

You have been hired by Bubba himself to put together a safety program for the company. Essentially, the company has no safety programs and has never really conducted any kind of hazard assessment.

III. Questions:

1. Identify 15 of what you consider the highest priority standards that are likely to apply to this operation. Include the code number for the standard, and describe a hazard demonstrating why the standard applies (e.g., Industrial Ventilation, 1910.94. The company has a paint booth that controls paint and solvent vapors).

2. Identify four important written programs this company is required to have (keep in mind that not all standards require that you develop a written program or SOP of some sort; although, many companies develop such SOPs regardless). Explain why you believe they are required to have these written programs.

3. Identify five standards that this company is required to provide training for, and briefly describe why this training is required.

Prepare your response to the questions listed in a properly formatted APA document. The completed paper should be arranged in the appropriate questions/sections identified above. Single-spacing may be used. Please make sure that you have addressed all questions in a full and detailed manner. Include a correctly formatted APA title and reference page. Remember to cite all sources used.