Remelt plant gets a safety...

Government safety organizations are tasked with the safe and healthful working conditions for working men and women by setting and enforcing standards and by providing training, outreach, education and assistance. Onsite inspections is an important tool that these organizations have. Here is a recent story of an aluminium company being fined after an onsite inspection:

(Company) an aluminum recycling facility was fined $10,000 by the state for serious safety violations.

The company, which recycles more than 150,000 tons of aluminum scrap per year at its 24/7 operation at was cited by the (state name) Occupational Safety and Health Administration after an inspection. Investigators found truck operators did not get training about workplace hazards.

Last year, (aluminium company) workers were exposed to potential injuries when operating payloaders by aluminum dross, which is considered a hazardous material, and in a smoky work area when flux for melting aluminum was not available, (state name) Occupational Safety and Health Administration found in its report. A worker there also moved aluminum dross on a payloader without a functioning horn, violating a workplace regulation that requires that industrial trucks be taken out of service until needed repairs are made.

We are thankful that these citations did not come in response to an incident(s). The company had fifteen days to either pay the fine or ask for a hearing. We do not know, but do the low amount of these fines, we would assume the company paid the fine.

Ok so let’s talk about what occurred. Taken from the citation.

Serious Violation 1:

Powered industrial truck operators did not receive training in other unique or potentially hazardous environmental conditions in the workplace that could affect safe operation:

Furnace Department – Employees were exposed to struck by injuries when powered industrial vehicles such as, but not limited to, payloaders were operated in the area of thermiting aluminium dross. On or about (date in Fall 2018) the work area was smokey when flux was not available.

APSB: comments, controlling pedestrian traffic where moveable equipment operate is very important. On our plant tours we always ask to tour the plant. We specifically ask not to be taken around the facility by a manager. Why? Because the manager is busy and our tours always feel rushed. We would rather be taken around by a junior engineer or safety personnel whose superiors give them 6-8 hours to allow us to tour a plant. During these tours we will commonly ask to sit and observe pedestrian traffic. It always amazes us where workers will walk and how close they will get near moveable equipment if allowed. It is a plant’s goal to set up either physical barriers or engineering controls to minimize the pedestrian interaction with moveable equipment.

The “smokey”ness of the facility because of a lack of flux was direct result to department management not being prepared. In all likelihood the flux was probably available but the shift foreman did not instruct the personnel to put it in the molten bath. Regardless, this issue can be rectified quickly.

Serious Violation 2:

Powered industrial truck operators did receive initial training, however was ineffective in the following topics, except in topics which employer can demonstrate are not applicable to safe operation of the truck in the employer’s workplace, including any vehicle inspection and maintenance that the operator would be required to performed.

Furnace Department – On or about (Fall 2018) an employee operating a payloader, without a functional horn, did not perform a pre-inspection prior to use.

APSB comments. On our future tours we will start to ask the equipment operators when we see them to hit their horn. Before we concentrated on if the worker was wearing a seat belt and if the flashing light was working. In the future we will observe what inspection moveable equipment operators perform prior to the vehicle moving.

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