OSHA cited Future Foam Inc., Middleton, Wis., for six serious violations and two repeat violations of OSHA standards and proposed penalties of $104,000.
A safety and health inspection was initiated at the worksite on Nov. 15, 2000, after workers were reportedly exposed to methylene chloride and TDI (toluene-2, 4-diisocyante) in excess of OSHA''s permissible exposure limits.
The alleged repeat violations identified one employee overexposure to methylene chloride. The company was cited for employee overexposure to methylene chloride following an OSHA inspection in July 1999.
The alleged serious violations addressed employee overexposure to TDI, fall hazards, lack of specific worksite procedures for respiratory protection, insufficient engineering controls and lack of periodic monitoring of methylene chloride.
The worksite has had seven previous OSHA inspections with a total of 17 serious violations.
Additionally, Future Foam Inc. has been inspected 27 times since 1974 at worksites in Mississippi, Kansas, Utah, Iowa, Texas, Colorado, Oklahoma and Missouri.
Future Foam Inc. has 72 employees in Middleton where they manufacture polyurethane foam. There are 600 employees company-wide.
The company has 15 working days to contest the citations or contest them.
by Virginia Sutcliffe