The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has cited Integrated Laminate Systems for 14 workplace safety and health violations, including exposing employees to methylene chloride.
Proposed penalties total $49,000.
Integrated Laminate Systems manufactures storage cabinets for dental offices and has 42 employees at its Cinnaminson, NJ, facility.
OSHA initiated an inspection of the facility on February 8 as part of its Site-Specific Targeting Program, which focuses on industries with high injury and illness rates.
The violations the agency found included the following:
- Employees exposed to airborne concentrations of methylene chloride from 1.02 to 1.28 times the permissible exposure level of 25 parts per million
- Failure to identify and evaluate the respiratory hazard in the workplace and conduct air monitoring for employees exposed to methylene chloride
- Failure to provide appropriate respiratory, body, and facial protection
- Failure to establish a respiratory protection program and a regulated area for employees working with methylene chloride
"Methylene chloride exposure can have very serious health effects, such as cancer and cardiac distress," said Paula Dixon-Roderick, director of OSHA's area office in Marlton, NJ. "It is vital that the company takes immediate action to ensure that employees have a safe and healthful work environment."
