OSHA Inspection: PIAD PRECISION CASTING CORPORATION

Issued

Jun 17, 1988

Abate by

Jan 30, 1989

Penalty

Initial $720 · Current $720

General-duty citation text

Section 5(a)(1) of the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970: The
employer did not furnish employment and a place of employment which were
free from recognized hazards that were causing or likely to cause death
or serious physical harm to employees in that employees were exposed to:
a) Employees working in the foundry and cleaning room where lifting,
bending, pushing and pulling is required, were exposed to body
mechanical (musculoskeletal) injuries. Specifically, a mold cleaner
employee suffered a back strain injury while lifting 75 pound mold
from a cart while twisting body to place the mold on a high adjacent
sand blaster table.
A feasible method to correct the hazard, among other methods, is the
periodic comprehensive training and supervision of all exposed employees
in body mechanics, manual lifting techniques and in the recognition and
avoidance of the hazard in manual lifting.
Step 1 - Effective administrative protection such as physical capability
assessment, job rotation, employee training (lifting techniques and
team lifting) shall be provided as an interim protective measure
until feasible engineering or additional administrative controls can
be implemented.
Step 2 - Submit to the Area Director a written, detail plan of
abatement outlining a schedule for the implementation of engineering
or administrative measures to control employees' injuries due to
manual lifting tasks. Engineering controls to reduce musculoskeletal
stresses include but are not limited to job redesign, reduction of
the lifting frequency or weight, and use of mechanical lifting
devices. The plan shall include at a minimum, target dates for the
following actions, which must be consistent with the abatement dates
required by this citation.
1) Evaluation of the conditions, locations and manual lifting activities
that the employees are performing at the onset of musculoskeletal
injuries;
2) Evaluation of applicable control measures;
3) Procurement, installation and operation of selected control measures;
4) Monitoring to assure effective utilization of the control measures;
Step 3 - Abatement shall have been completed by implementation of
feasible engineering or administrative controls, upon verification of
their effectiveness in reducing the occurance of musculoskeletal
injuries.
Some feasible and useful methods of control among other methods include:
1) Utilizing team lifting techniques when moving heavy objects such as
foundry molds.
2) Requiring the mandatory use of lifting devices for molds and other
items that are above the action level in weight.
3) Requiring supplies to reduce the weight of bags of materials received
in the plant.

Issued

Jun 17, 1988

Abate by

Jun 30, 1988

Penalty

Initial $270 · Current $270

Issued

Jun 17, 1988

Abate by

Jun 30, 1988

Penalty

Initial $360 · Current $360