Trinity Industries, Inc.

Plain-English summary

Trinity hired a contractor to repair a furnace in a pre-1980 facility without first determining whether asbestos was present or warning the contractor about asbestos-containing material. The ALJ affirmed two asbestos hazard-communication violations but classified them as non-serious and assessed no penalty. On appeal, the Third Circuit held that the violations were unquestionably serious. The court returned the case to the Commission to determine the proper penalty. The Commission then remanded the case to the ALJ for proceedings consistent with the court's opinion.

Decision snapshot

• Cited standard(s): 29 C.F.R. § 1926.1101(k)(2)(i) and 29 C.F.R. § 1926.1101(k)(2)(ii)(A)
• Outcome: The case was remanded to the ALJ to assess a penalty for two serious asbestos violations.
• Key point: Once the court held the asbestos violations serious, only the appropriate penalty remained for the ALJ to decide.

Full text (OSHRC public release)

Trinity Industries, Inc., Docket No. 05-0773

SECRETARY OF LABOR,

Complainant,

v.

OSHRC Docket No. 05-0773

TRINITY INDUSTRIES, INC.,

Respondent.

APPEARANCES:

Michelle Yau, Attorney; Michael P. Doyle, Counsel for Appellate Litigation; Joseph M.
Woodward, Associate Solicitor of Occupational Safety and Health; Jonathan L. Snare, Acting
Solicitor of Labor; U.S. Department of Labor, Washington, DC                                           

For the Complainant

Robert E. Rader, Jr., Esq.; Rader & Campbell, Dallas, TX                   

For the Respondent

REMAND ORDER

Before: THOMPSON, Chairman; ROGERS, Commissioner.

BY THE COMMISSION:

This case is before the Commission on remand from the United States Court of Appeals
for the Third Circuit. Sec’y of Labor v. Trinity Indus., Inc. , 504 F.3d 397 (3d Cir. 2007). The
court reviewed a decision of Administrative Law Judge G. Marvin Bober. Trinity Indus., Inc. ,
21 BNA OSHC 1559 (No. 05-0773, 2006). That decision became a final order of the
Commission by operation of Commission Rule of Procedure 90(d), 29 C.F.R. § 2200.90(d). On
appeal, the court held that the judge erroneously reclassified Respondent’s violations from
“serious” to “other” or “non-serious,” and concluded that the violations were “unquestionably
. . . ‘serious’” under 29 U.S.C. § 666(k).

By mandate issued November 26, 2007, the court ordered the judge’s decision remanded
for consideration of the proper penalty to be assessed for the serious violations. Accordingly, we
hereby remand this case to the judge “for further proceedings consistent” with the court’s
opinion.

SO ORDERED.  

/s/

Horace A. Thompson III

Chairman

/s/

Thomasina V. Rogers

Dated:  Dec 5, 2007                                                     Commissioner

Secretary of Labor

Complainant,

v.

OSHRC DOCKET NO -50773

Trinity Industries, Inc.

Respondent

Appearances:

Judson H. P. Dean, Esquire                              Robert E. Rader, Jr., Esquire

U.S. Department of Labor                                Rader & Campbell

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania                               Dallas, Texas

For the Complainant.                                        For the Respondent.

Before:              G. Martin Bober

Administrative Law Judge

DECISION AND ORDER

Background and Procedural History

This matter is before the Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission (“the
Commission”) pursuant to section 10(c) of the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970, as
amended, 29 U.S.C. § 651 et seq . (“the Act”). The Occupational Safety and Health
Administration (“OSHA”) conducted an inspection of a work site of Respondent, Trinity
Industries, Inc. (“Trinity” or “Respondent”), from March 30, 2005 to April 25, 2005; the site was
located in McKees Rocks, Pennsylvania. As a result of the inspection, OSHA issued to Trinity a
Citation and Notification of Penalty alleging serious violations of 29 C.F.R. §§
1926.1101(k)(2)(i), and 1926.1101(k)(2)(ii)(A). Trinity timely contested the citation and the
proposed penalty.

By agreement of the parties, and with the approval of the Administrative Law Judge, the
parties have submitted this case for a decision on the record pursuant to Commission Rule 61,
29 C.F.R. § 2200.61. Rule 61 provides as follows:

A case may be fully stipulated by the parties and submitted to the Commission or
Judge for a decision at any time. The stipulation of facts shall be in writing and
signed by the parties or their representatives. The submission of a case under this
rule does not alter the burden of proof, the requirements otherwise applicable with
respect to adducing proof, or the effect of failure of proof. * * * .

Stipulation of Facts

Complainant Secretary of Labor and Respondent Trinity Industries, Inc., make the
following stipulations of fact because they believe this case is controlled by an issue of law.
Such stipulations are made to avoid the time and expense of an evidentiary hearing and are for
the purposes of this proceeding only.

1. Trinity Industries, Inc., is an employer subject to the Occupational Safety and Health
Act.

2. The Review Commission has jurisdiction over these proceedings.

3. The citation in this case involves a foundry in McKees Rocks, Pennsylvania. Trinity
purchased the McKees Rocks facility from Century America, Corporation in late 1988. The
facility was constructed prior to 1980.

4. Shortly before Trinity purchased the McKees Rocks facility, Helmut Hvizdalek, then
the plant manager for Century America, negotiated a contract for Salem Furnace Company in
Pittsburgh to remove and replace the water system and do related work on a “pusher furnace” in
the facility. The work required removing the outer brick wall and the inner insulation blanket,
intended to prevent heat loss, all the way down to the metal furnace itself in the area where the
piping goes to the furnace.

5. Helmut Hvizdalek contracted with Salem Furnace because Century America had used
them in the past and based on their previous work Hvizdalek was confident they were experts in
repairing and rebuilding furnaces, including removal of asbestos if necessary.

6. Trinity purchased the McKees Rocks facility after Helmut Hvizdalek negotiated the
contract with Salem Furnace but before Salem Furnace began the work. After Trinity purchased
the facility, Trinity issued its own purchase order to Salem Furnace to complete the repair work
on the furnace previously negotiated by Helmut Hvizdalek. The total price for the work was
$585,000 and Trinity paid Salem Furnace that amount when the work was completed in early
1989. Trinity is currently the owner of the building/facility, and was the owner at the time of the
alleged violation at issue.

7. When Trinity purchased the McKees Rocks facility, Helmut Hvizdalek stayed on at
the facility as general manager of Trinity’s forged products division. Helmut Hvizdalek is the
only person still employed by Trinity with knowledge of the furnace repairs in 1989.

8. When Salem Furnace removed and replaced the insulation blanket in 1989 they did not
inform Helmut Hvizdalek or anyone else at Trinity that the inner insulation blanket was asbestos
and there was no discussion about the insulation blanket. Mr. Hvizdalek therefore believed either
that it was not asbestos or, if it was asbestos, that Salem had properly disposed of it. Either way,
at the conclusion of the work Helmut Hvizdalek believed that there was no asbestos in the area
where Salem had worked. Trinity does not currently possess any documentation relating to the
work performed by Salem Furnace in 1989.

9. In 2005 the outer brick wall in the same area of the pusher furnace needed to be
replaced. Trinity could not use Salem Furnace again because in the intervening sixteen years
they sold out to another company and are no longer in business. Trinity therefore contracted with
Pli-Brico in Salem, Ohio to replace the brick.

10. In the past, whenever Trinity has had repair work performed on furnaces it has tested
for asbestos. In this case, however, because of the repair work in 1989 and the belief that any
asbestos had been removed by Salem Furnace in the area where Pli-Brico would be working,
Trinity did not test or inspect for asbestos before hiring Pli-Brico or at any time before Pli-Brico
began the work, and Trinity did not notify Pli-Brico that asbestos was present.

11. In fact the insulation blanket did contain asbestos. Both Pli-Brico and Trinity were
surprised that the inner insulation blanket contained asbestos because this was the same area
where Salem Furnace did their repair work in 1989. In 1989 Salem had removed the outer brick
and insulation blanket all the way down to the metal. Therefore, for there to still be asbestos in
that area could only mean that Salem had either replaced an existing asbestos blanket or installed
a new asbestos blanket.

12. Trinity was aware at all times before Pli-Brico began the work that the furnace was
covered by an insulation blanket located under the outer brick exterior. However, neither Helmut
Hvizdalek nor Trinity anticipated that when Salem Furnace replaced that insulation blanket in
1989 that they replaced it with another asbestos blanket. Mr. Hvizdalek, and Trinity, believed
that if there had been asbestos in the area of the furnace it had been removed in 1989. Prior to the
work performed by Pli-Brico, neither Helmut Hvizdalek nor Trinity had actual knowledge that
asbestos was present in the area to be repaired by Pli-Brico.

13. The contractor Pli-Brico began its work on Saturday, March 26, 2005. The asbestos
in the insulation blanket beneath the outer brick was not identified until approximately 2:00 p.m.
on Monday, March 28, 2005 (no work was performed on Sunday, March 27, 2005), when an
employee of the facility observed that some of the insulation blanket material, which had been
removed by Pli-Brico and placed in a dumpster, looked like it contained asbestos. At this time,
Pli-Brico stopped the work, and Trinity conducted its own testing of the insulation blanket
material and determined that it did contain asbestos. The bulk samples conducted by Trinity on
March 28, 2005, contained 15% amosite asbestos.

14. Once it was determined that the insulation blanket material contained asbestos, the
area was sealed off and arrangements were made to properly remove and dispose of the asbestos.

15. On March 30, 2005, OSHA conducted an inspection of Trinity’s facility in McKees
Rocks. The Compliance Safety and Health Officer (“CSHO”) collected two bulk samples of the
insulation blanket from an area where employees of the contractor (Pli-Brico), including but not
limited to Blaine Daugherty, III, and Dan Neely, had been working on March 26, 2005 for a full
eight hour shift, and on March 28, 2005 until approximately 2:00 p.m. One sample was found to
consist of fiberglass, the second sample contained 5% amosite asbestos. The CSHO also
collected a bulk sample of the insulation blanket material that had been removed and placed in
the dumpster. That sample contained 3% amosite asbestos.

16. As a result of the inspection OSHA issued a citation for: (1) a Serious violation of 29
C.F.R. § 1926.1101(k)(2)(i) based on the following alleged facts: “Before work was conducted
in the Pusher Furnace, the employer failed to determine the presence, location and quantity of
asbestos-containing material. Employees removing fire brick disturbed backing containing 3 to
5%

amosite asbestos”; and (2) a Serious violation of 29 C.F.R. § 1926.1101(k)(2)(ii)(A) based
on the following alleged facts: “Before repair work was done on the Pusher Furnace, the
employer failed to notify prospective employers bidding for work whose employees reasonably
can be expected to be exposed to areas containing asbestos containing material (ACM) or
presumed asbestos containing material (PACM).” The citation proposes a total penalty of 2,000.

Motion to Strike

On August 12, 2005, counsel for the Secretary notified the undersigned that the parties
agreed that the “case may be decided on written motions without need of a hearing.” The parties
filed a stipulation of facts, briefs and, thereafter, response briefs. However, with her brief filed
October 11, 2005, the Secretary indicated she had included the OSHA-1B form from the
inspection as Exhibit A to her brief, to support the serious classification of the violations and the
proposed penalty.

On October 26, 2005, Respondent filed its Motion to Strike. Respondent asserts that (1)
“[t]he parties agreed to submit this case on stipulated facts,” (2) “[t]o that end, the parties
negotiated and agreed to a joint Stipulation of Facts in accordance with Commission Rule 61,”
(3) the parties agreed on the stipulated facts, signed the stipulation, and filed it with the
Commission, (4) the “Stipulation of Facts include[d] ‘all material facts,’” (5) after the
Stipulation of Facts was filed, the Secretary submitted, as supplemental evidence, an OSHA-1B
as an exhibit to her brief, (6) the OSHA-1B was included in her brief “to support the
classification of the citation and the proposed penalty,” and (7) the OSHA-1B should “not be
considered by the Judge or the Commission because they are outside the agreed Stipulation of
Facts.”

On November 9, 2005, the Secretary filed her reply. The Secretary asserts that: (1) “[a]t
the outset of litigation, Respondent expressly based its contest of the Citation upon one specific
argument: that, under the circumstances, Respondent acted with reasonable diligence in
assuming that the area in which Plibrico employees would be working was free of asbestos.
Respondent did not at any time indicate to Complainant that it intended to dispute the proposed
penalty;” (2) “the OSHA-1B form had already been produced to Respondent during discovery,
and Respondent therefore had full knowledge of the factual basis for OSHA’s proposed penalty
at this time;” and (3) admitting the OSHA-1B into the record “would be fair under the
circumstances: the accuracy of this information is not disputed by Respondent; the information
does not in any way contradict any of the Factual Stipulations already submitted; and the sole
reason that not all of the penalty-related information from the OSHA-1B appears in the
Stipulated Facts is because Respondent did not disclose its intention to challenge the proposed
penalty.”

As Respondent points out, evidentiary stipulations are binding on the parties who make
them, including the government. See Thrash v. O’Donnell , 448 F.2d 886, 889 n.7 (5 th Cir. 1971).
See also Mull v. Ford Motor Co. , 368 F.2d 713, 716 (2d Cir. 1966). Moreover, “facts agreed to
by the parties ... are to be considered facts on the trial, without further evidence....The trial court
may not disregard the facts stipulated to by the parties or require evidence to support them.” U.S.
v. Sommers , 351 F.2d 354, 357 (10 th Cir. 1965). In addition, a pretrial stipulation remains
binding between the parties during subsequent proceedings unless a failure to modify or set it
aside would result in manifest injustice. Waldorf v. Borough of Kenilworth , 878 F. Supp. 686,
694 (D. N.J. 1995), aff’d sub nom. Waldorf v. Shuta , 142 F.3d 601, 618 (3d Cir. 1998). In this
case, when the Secretary entered into stipulation discussions with Trinity, she had in her
possession the OSHA-1B at issue. The Secretary should have made the contents of the OSHA-1B a stipulation at that time, particularly since it contained information relevant to the serious
classification of the alleged violations and to the appropriateness of the proposed penalty. When
she did not do so, she relinquished her legal right to include the contents of the OSHA-1B in the
stipulation of facts. Under the circumstances of this case, I find that there is no manifest injustice
in not receiving the OSHA-1B in evidence. Trinity’s motion to strike is accordingly granted.

Essential Facts

The essential facts are not in dispute. In 1988, Trinity purchased a foundry, located in
McKees Rocks, Pennsylvania, from Century America Corporation (“Century”). The facility was
constructed prior to 1980. Shortly before Trinity purchased the facility, Century’s plant manager,
Helmut Hvizdalek, contracted with Salem Furnace Company (“Salem”) to work on a pusher
furnace at the facility. The contract provided that Salem would remove the outer brick wall and
the inner insulation blanket all the way down to the metal pusher furnace in the area where the
piping went to the furnace. When Salem removed and replaced the insulation blanket in 1989, it
did not inform anyone at Trinity that the insulation blanket contained asbestos. Trinity issued its
own purchase order to Salem, and Salem was paid $585,000 after the work was completed in
early 1989.

In 2005, the outer brick wall in the same area of the pusher furnace needed to be
replaced, and Trinity contracted with Pli-Brico to replace the brick. Based upon its belief that
Salem would have either informed it of the presence of asbestos or removed any asbestos
material from the furnace during the work in 1989, Trinity mistakenly assumed that the area to
be worked on contained no asbestos. Trinity, therefore, did not test or inspect the furnace area
for the presence of asbestos before Pli-Brico commenced its work. However, the insulation
blanket did in fact contain asbestos, and both Pli-Brico and Trinity were surprised to learn that
such was the case in light of the work that Salem had done in 1989. Before Pli-Brico performed
its work, neither Mr. Hvizdalek nor Trinity had actual knowledge that asbestos was present in
the area to be repaired.

Pli-Brico began its work at the facility on March 26, 2005, and continued its work on
March 28, 2005.

At about 2:00 p.m. on March 28, an employee of the facility observed that
some of the insulation blanket material, which had been removed by Pli-Brico and placed in a
dumpster, looked like it contained asbestos. At that point, Pli-Brico stopped its work, and Trinity
conducted its own testing of the insulation blanket material and determined that it did contain
asbestos. The area was then sealed off and arrangements were made to properly remove and
dispose of the asbestos. On March 30, 2005, an OSHA Compliance Officer conducted an
inspection of the foundry, and, thereafter, the Citation and Notification of Penalty described
supra was issued.

The Cited Regulations

Item 1a alleges a violation of 29 C.F.R.1926.1101(k)(2)(i), which provides as follows:

(k) Communication of hazards. (2) Duties of building and facility owners. (i)
Before work subject to this standard is begun, building and facility owners shall
determine the presence, location, and quantity of ACM and/or PACM

at the
work site pursuant to paragraph (k)(1) of this section.

Item 1b alleges a violation of 29 C.F.R.1926.1101(k)(2)(ii)(A), which states that:

(ii) Building and/or facility owners shall notify the following persons of the
presence, location and quantity of ACM or PACM at the work sites in their
buildings and facilities. Notification either shall be in writing, or shall consist of a
personal communication between the owner and the person to whom notification
must be given or their authorized representatives: (A) Prospective employers
applying or bidding for work whose employees reasonably can be expected to
work in or adjacent to areas containing such material.

The Positions of the Parties

According to the Secretary, the issue in this case is whether Trinity violated the two cited
standards by (1) failing to determine the presence, location and quantity of PACM before the
contractor began work at the site, and (2) failing to communicate information about the PACM
to the contractor hired to perform the work in the area where the PACM was located. The
Secretary contends she has met her burden of proof as to all elements of the alleged violations.

According to Respondent, the citation must be dismissed as a matter of law. It notes that
there was exposure only to employees of Pli-Brico, a separate employer, and that the Fifth
Circuit Court of Appeals has held that an employer cannot be found in violation of a standard if
its own employees are not affected by the noncompliance. Melerine v. Avondale Shipyards , Inc.,
659 F.2d 706, 711 (5 th Cir. 1981). Trinity points out that it is headquartered in Dallas, Texas,
which is located in the Fifth Circuit, and that the Commission must apply Fifth Circuit precedent
in this case.

Respondent further contends that even if Trinity had liability for the exposure of Pli-Brico employees, the citation must still be dismissed because the Secretary has not proved
knowledge. Trinity notes that the Secretary asserts that the element of knowledge in this case is
established by a presumption that the insulation blanket around the furnace contained asbestos
as the building was built before 1980; because of this presumption, she argues, Trinity is deemed
to have knowledge that asbestos was present unless Trinity affirmatively proved otherwise by
using the specific testing procedures set forth in the standard.

Respondent asserts that the effect of such a presumption is to shift the burden of proof as
to knowledge from the Secretary to Trinity and that doing so is contrary to Fifth Circuit
precedent. It points out that in that Circuit, the only effect of a presumption is to shift the burden
of producing evidence in regard to the presumed fact; it does not shift the burden of persuasion.
Pennzoil Co. v. Federal Energy Regulatory Comm’n, 789 F.2d 1128, 1136 (5 th Cir. 1986). It also
points out that once a respondent produces evidence challenging the presumed fact, the
presumption disappears from the case; the presumption is dispelled upon the introduction of
evidence that would support a finding of the nonexistence of the presumed fact. Id. at 1136-38.
Respondent notes that pursuant to the parties’ stipulations, Trinity had no actual knowledge of
the presence of asbestos and reasonably believed that any asbestos had been removed by the
previous contractor. Respondent argues that, under Pennzoil , the presumption that Trinity knew
of the presence of asbestos is dispelled by the stipulations showing Trinity’s lack of knowledge;
thus, the presumption of knowledge disappears from this case, and the Secretary has no evidence
to meet her burden of showing knowledge.

Finally, Respondent contends the Secretary has not proved either the serious
classification or the appropriateness of the proposed penalty. It notes that the serious
classification depends on whether there is a substantial probability that death or serious physical
harm could result from the condition. It also notes there is no evidence of how much time was
spent actually removing the insulation blanket itself or how much of the blanket was removed
before it was identified as possibly containing asbestos; without evidence of exposure, there can
be no determination the citation was serious, and the lack of evidence also precludes the
determination of an appropriate penalty.

DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION

To prove a violation of a specific OSHA standard, the Secretary has the burden of
proving that the standard applies, that the terms of the standard were not met, that employees had
access to the violative condition, and that the cited employer had actual or constructive
knowledge ( i.e. , either knew or could have known with the exercise of reasonable diligence) of
the violative condition. Access Equip. Sys., Inc., 18 BNA OSHC 1718, 1720 ((No. 95-1449,
1999).

The stipulated facts in this case establish that Trinity was the owner of the subject
building and facility, that the building was constructed before 1980, and that in 2005, Trinity
contracted with Pli-Brico to repair the outer brick wall of the building in the area where the
pusher furnace was located. The facts also show that the pusher furnace had an insulation blanket
over it to prevent heat loss, that at least part of the blanket was removed during Pli-Brico’s work
at the site, and that testing of the blanket material revealed it contained from 3 to 15% amosite
asbestos. Finally, the facts demonstrate that Trinity did not inspect or test for asbestos before
hiring Pli-Brico or at any time before Pli-Brico began the work and that Trinity did not notify
Pli-Brico that asbestos was present. (Stip. Nos. 3, 4, 6, 10, 13, 15).

OSHA’s asbestos standard applies to, inter alia , the “[c]onstruction, alteration, repair,
maintenance, or renovation of structures, substrates, or portions thereof, that contain asbestos.”
See 29 C.F.R. 1926.1101(a)(3). In addition, asbestos-containing material, or ACM, means “any
material containing more than one percent asbestos,” and thermal system insulation, or TSI,
means “ACM applied to pipes, fittings, boilers, breeching, tanks, ducts or other structural
components to prevent heat loss or gain.” See 29 C.F.R. 1926.1101(b). Section 1926.1101(k)(1),
which is referred to in the first cited standard, provides as follows:

This section applies to the communication of information concerning asbestos
hazards in construction activities to facilitate compliance with this standard. Most
asbestos-related construction activities involve previously installed building
materials. Building owners often are the only and/or best sources of information
concerning them. Therefore, they, along with employers of potentially exposed
employees, are assigned specific information conveying and retention duties
under this section. Installed Asbestos Containing Building Material. Employers
and building owners shall identify TSI and sprayed or troweled on surfacing
materials in buildings as asbestos-containing, unless they determine in
compliance with paragraph (k)(5) of this section that the material is not asbestos-containing. Asphalt and vinyl flooring material installed no later than 1980 must
also be considered as asbestos containing unless the employer, pursuant to
paragraph (g)(8)(i)(I) of this section determines that it is not asbestos-containing.
If the employer/building owner has actual knowledge, or should have known
through the exercise of due diligence, that other materials are asbestos-containing,
they too must be treated as such. When communicating information to employees
pursuant to this standard, owners and employers shall identify “PACM” as ACM.
Additional requirements relating to communication of asbestos work on multi-employer worksites are set out in paragraph (d) of this section.

Based upon the foregoing stipulated facts, the provisions of the asbestos standard set out
above, and the language of the cited standards, it is clear the cited standards applied to Pli-Brico’s work at the site. It is also clear that Trinity did not satisfy the terms of the standards and
that Pli-Brico’s employees had access to the insulation blanket due to Trinity’s failure to comply
with the standards. As to knowledge, Trinity had no actual knowledge the insulation blanket
covering the pusher furnace contained asbestos. However, Trinity, as the building owner, knew
the building was constructed before 1980; it also knew an insulation blanket covered the pusher
furnace. (Stip. Nos. 3, 4, 5, 12). The asbestos standard plainly requires an employer to identify
TSI in buildings constructed no later than 1980 as asbestos-containing unless the employer
affirmatively determines that it is not. As Trinity did not do so, the Secretary has demonstrated
the knowledge element.

As set out supra , Trinity argues the Secretary has not proved knowledge in this case,
citing to the Fifth Circuit’s holding in Pennzoil Co. v. Federal Energy Regulatory Comm’n, 789
F.2d 1128, 1136 (5 th Cir. 1986).

Specifically, Trinity asserts the standard presumes employer
knowledge of the presence of asbestos, for situations like the one here, unless the employer
proves otherwise by using the testing procedures set forth in the standard; Trinity further asserts
the presumption improperly shifts the burden of proof. However, the standard presumes only the
presence of asbestos in circumstances like those in this case, which the employer may rebut by
performing the specified testing. The Commission agreed with this interpretation in Odyssey
Capital Group , 19 BNA OSHC 1252 (No. 98-1745, 2000). There, the employer’s employees
were scraping off sprayed-on acoustic paint from apartment ceilings in a building that was built
before 1981. The Commission stated, as to the presumption in the standard, as follows:

An employer may overcome the presumption that sprayed- or troweled-on
surfacing material in pre-1981 buildings is ACM, if it establishes that an analysis
of bulk samples collected in the manner described in 40 C.F.R. § 763.86 shows
that the surfacing material does not contain more than one percent asbestos. 29
C.F.R. §§ 1926.1101(k)(1), (5).

Id . at 1254. See also James R. Howell & Co. , 19 BNA OSHC 1277 (No. 99-1348, 2000). The
stipulated facts establish that Trinity did not perform the required testing. (Stip. No. 10). Trinity,
consequently, cannot rebut the presumption in the standard.

Moreover, as the Secretary points out, her burden of proof with respect to knowledge in
this case is the same as that for all cases, that is, she must show that the employer had actual
knowledge of the conditions constituting the violation or that the employer, with the exercise of
reasonable diligence, could have known of the conditions. See, e.g., Access Equip. Sys., Inc., 18
BNA OSHC 1718, 1720 ((No. 95-1449, 1999). As the Secretary also points out, the Commission
in Odyssey Capital Group , discussed above, stated that the employer there “was aware of all the
conditions constituting the violation.” Specifically, it knew that the building had been
constructed before 1981, that many of the apartment ceilings had sprayed-on surfacing material,
and that no testing under the standard had been done. 19 BNA OSHC at 1254. Odyssey asserted,
however, that it was entitled to rely on environmental studies done for its financing entity,
showing that no samples of the ceiling material contained as much as one percent asbestos, to
establish that it was reasonably diligent in determining the apartments did not contain sufficient
asbestos to trigger application of the cited standards. The Commission rejected this assertion,
noting that the asbestos standard defined what constituted reasonable diligence; that is, it
required the employer to take precautions unless specific testing, done in a way that Odyssey had
not done, showed that the material involved contained no more than one percent asbestos. The
Commission found that the employer thus “knew or reasonably could have known that the
ceiling surface material at issue was PACM and that it failed to conduct the specific testing
called for in the [standard].” The Commission therefore agreed with the judge’s having affirmed
the cited standards. 19 BNA OSHC at 1254-55. See also James R. Howell & Co. , cited supra .
Trinity’s first argument is accordingly rejected.

Trinity’s other argument, also set out above, is that only Pli-Brico employees had access
to the violative condition and that the Fifth Circuit has held that an employer cannot be found in
violation of an OSHA standard if its own employees are not affected by the noncompliance.
Melerine v. Avondale Shipyards, Inc. , 659 F.2d 706, 711 (5 th Cir. 1981). I have reviewed the
Melerine decision, and it does, in fact, state that “[i]n this circuit, therefore, the class protected
by OSHA regulations comprises only employers’ own employees.” Id . at 712. However, the
court in Melerine was addressing a regulation giving OSHA accreditation to certain other
regulations also at issue. Further, the accrediting regulation required “[e]ach employer [to]
protect the employment and places of employment of each of his employees engaged in ship
repair or a related employment....” Id . (Citation omitted). (Italics in decision). Thus, the court
was not addressing an OSHA standard like the ones cited here, which specifically require
building and facility owners to determine the presence, location and quantity of ACM and/or
PACM at their work sites and to communicate the existence of such materials to prospective
employers applying or bidding for work whose employees reasonably can be expected to work in
or near areas containing the materials. I conclude, therefore, that Melerine is not relevant to this
decision because it does not address OSHA standards like the ones in issue in this case. Trinity’s
second argument is rejected, and the Secretary has met her burden of proving violations of the
cited standards.

Trinity’s final argument is that the Secretary has not shown the violations were serious or
that the proposed penalty is appropriate. As set out supra , the OSHA-1B, which contained
information about the serious nature of the violations and the appropriateness of the proposed
penalty, was not admitted into evidence, and there was no other evidence as to these two issues.
According to the record, the bulk samples taken by OSHA and Trinity show the insulation
material contained from 3 to 15 percent amosite asbestos; further, two Pli-Brico employees were
working in the area of the furnace for a full eight-hour shift on March 26, 2005, and for an
unspecified amount of time on March 28, 2005, but in any case no later than 2:00 p.m. (Stip.
Nos. 13, 15). However, as Trinity points out, Pli-Brico’s first task was to remove the outer brick
wall, and it could well be that this task took all day on March 26 and most of the employees’
workday on March 28. It could also well be that, after removing the brick wall, the only
exposure the employees had to the insulation material was when one or both of them pulled off a
portion of the material and placed it in the dumpster. This activity could have taken just minutes
and could have occurred right before the Trinity employee discovered the material in the
dumpster and reported it, at which point Pli-Brico ceased its work. As Trinity notes, the
Secretary cannot seriously contend that a single exposure to the insulation material of as little
time as 15 minutes, for example, could be classified as a serious violation.

I am aware of the cases the Secretary cites stating that, to show a serious violation of a
health standard, the question is whether a disease could result from the violative condition and
whether there is a substantial probability of death or serious physical harm if the disease does
occur. Kaiser Aluminum & Chem. Co. , 10 BNA OSHC 1893, 1897 (No. 77-699, 1982);
Anaconda Aluminum Co. , 9 BNA OSHC 1460, 1474-77 (No. 13102, 1981). I am also aware that
overexposure to asbestos can result in diseases such as asbestosis and mesothelioma. See, e.g.,
Dec-Tam Corp. , 15 BNA OSHC 2072, 2081-82 (No. 88-523, 1993). However, it is the
Secretary’s burden to present evidence in support of the classification of her citations, and here,
there is no evidence to show any significant exposure to asbestos. Under the limited
circumstances of this case, I find the Secretary has not met her burden of proving the violations
were serious. She has likewise not met her burden of showing the proposed penalty is
appropriate. Consequently, Items 1a and 1b are affirmed as “other,” or non-serious, violations,
and no penalty is assessed.

ORDER

Based upon the foregoing Findings of Fact and Conclusions of Law, it is ORDERED
that:

1. Items 1a and 1b of Serious Citation 1, alleging violations of 29 C.F.R. §§
1926.1101(k)(2)(i) and 1926.1101(k)(2)(ii)(A), respectively, are AFFIRMED as “other,” or non-serious, violations. No penalty is assessed for either violation.

/s/

G. Marvin Bober

Judge, OSHRC

Dated:   February 13, 2006

Washington, D.C.