The United States Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration has
cited Commercial Warehousing Inc. for thirteen safety and health violations, comprised of one
willful and twelve serious violations. They come in response to inspections of a facility in Winter
Haven, FL in January of 2015. This inspection was initiated as part of the agency’s National
Emphasis Program for Chemical Plants. The citations are for failures surrounding insulation
removal, failure to test ammonia refrigeration system piping and pressure valves, not completing
action items on the process safety hazard analysis, and failures in training for both permanent
and temporary workers around emergency evacuation plans and alarm systems. These violations
carry proposed penalties of $116,100.
“Exposure to high levels of ammonia in the air can be irritating to the skin, eyes, throat and
lungs. Lung damage and death may occur after exposure to very high concentrations of
ammonia,” said Les Grove, OSHA’s area director in Tampa. “Commercial Warehousing has
known for several years that testing of the refrigeration piping and pressure vessels was not
being done as specified in company maintenance policy but management chose to downplay the
seriousness of the hazard due to cost, and in the process, risked the lives and health of its
workers.”
If you have any questions about this inspection or about occupational safety and health third
party audits, please contact us. If you have anything to add about this inspection or about the
importance of properly updated occupational safety and health policies and procedures, please
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