Aluminium foundry fined over $150,000 after safety inspection...

Government safety organizations were created to assure safe and healthful working conditions for working men and women. The Aluminium Plant Safety Blog has a recent story where an aluminium foundry was fined after failing a safety inspection by one such gov't agency. 

Because this company will have the opportunity to contest this fine, the APSB has left out the company name.

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has cited an aluminium foundry in the United States with 30+ health and safety violations, including four repeat. The 2012 inspection was initiated under the national emphasis program targeting the primary metals industry. Recently proposed fines total over $170,000 USD were levied against the foundry.

"The company has a responsibility to train and protect workers from known industry hazards, such as exposure to noise, respiratory and machine guarding," said OSHA area director. "Programmed inspections help OSHA achieve its goal of reducing worker injuries and illnesses by directing enforcement resources to industries where the highest rates of injuries and illnesses have occurred."

Four repeat violations involve falling to provide fire extinguisher, noise and chemical hazards training; perform medical evaluations of workers required to use respirators and to fit-test respirators. A repeat violation exists when an employer previously has been cited for the same or a similar violation of a standard, regulation, rile or order an any other facility in federal enforcement states within the last five years. The same violations were cited in 2009.

Twenty-six (26) violations including:

• Falling to ensure use of personal protective equipment
• Prevent use of damaged personal protect equipment 
• Conduct annual audiograms. 

OSHA also found:

• Fall hazards
• Poor housekeeping
• Inoperative safety latches on crane hoists
• Lack of machine guarding on multiple machines
• Electric safety violations, 
• Failure to train workers on and conduct periodic inspections of energy control procedures. 

A serious violation occurs when there is substantial probability that death or serious physical harm could result from a hazard about with the employer knew or should have known.

Three other-than-serious violations included:

• Not conducting performance evaluation for forklift operators
• A partially blocked exit door 
• Lack of certification of a workplace hazard assessment. 

An other-than-serious violation is one that has a direct relationship to job safety and health, but probably would not cause death or serious physical harm.

This foundry had numerous violations. OSHA has information on the following:

• Hearing conservation (viewed here)
• Fall protection (viewed here)
• Machine guarding (viewed here)
• Energy control (viewed here)
• Forklift trucks (viewed here)
• Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) (viewed here)

Please comment.