157 



Worker Safety 



Ketchikan Pulp Company follows regulations established by the Federal Department of 

 Labor, Occupational Safety and Health Division The State of Alaska has adopted the 

 Federal Regulations listed in 29 CFR From January 1, 1993 through June 28, 1996 five 

 inspections of the Ward cove pulp mill facilities were conducted by State OSHA These 

 were both in response to complaints filed by employees and unannounced inspections 

 These five inspections resulted in eleven citations and Ketchikan Pulp Company paid a 

 total of $15,000 in fines. These inspections are further detailed below 



Three inspections occurred under the Process Safety Management Standard established in 

 Federal law This standard sets regulations for every process phase of highly hazardous 

 chemicals. Such chemicals are in daily use in the pulping process which operates 

 continuously, twenty four hours per day, seven days per week. These inspections were 

 the result of chemical releases that either could have or did result in employee exposure to 

 chemicals. These investigations resulted in a settlement with OSHA in which Ketchikan 

 Pulp Company agreed to abatement procedures, and the potential fine was reduced by 

 60%. 



One inspection resulted fi'om an employee complaint regarding the Permit Required 

 Confined Space Entry standard As host employer on a work site, KPC also has 

 responsibility for independent contractors working on the site The complaint came from 

 a contractor employee. The citation that resulted from the inspection was a "paperwork 

 citation" that was classed, "Other than Serious" and carried no monetary penalty 



In 1993 an incident involving the improper removal of asbestos by a contractor resulted in 

 a State OSHA inspection. This incident resulted in a $7,000 fine 



Prior to 1993, there were numerous asbestos inspections at KPC as a result of employee 

 complaints In 1988, a settlement agreement was reached with the Department of Labor 

 that established a new asbestos abatement management program at the Ward Cove facility 

 In 1992 OSHA inspected the facility and determined that all of the required procedures 

 had been implemented 



In the period from January 1993 through June, 1996 there was one Federal OSHA visit at 

 the mill Federal OSHA has jurisdiction over waterfront facilities along with the US Coast 

 Guard. Five citations were issued The basis for the citations was employee failure to 

 wear Personal Protective Equipment when working on the barge, and management failure 

 to enforce the nile requiring that the equipment be worn The fine was $4,000. 



KPC cooperates voluntarily with the Training and Consultation Section of the Department 

 of Labor Between 1991 and 1996 there have been five voluntary compliance inspections 

 at Ward Cove. During a voluntary compliance inspection, representatives from OSHA 

 and KPC inspect the facility for deficiencies and items that could lead to a citation if not 

 corrected. 



39 



