OSHA Inspection: AMERICAN FOUNDRY GROUP

Issued

2002-07-30 00:00:00

Abate by

2002-08-07 00:00:00

Penalty

Initial $5000.00 · Current $3000.00 Reduced

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 in that
employees were exposed
to water/metal explosions resulting from inadequate charge drying
procedures.  On or about
2/1/02, a melter was fatally burned during a furnace explosion that was
apparently caused by
introduction of wet charge material into the melt.
Among other means, acceptable and feasible means of abatement include:
1.Develop and implement a written work procedure for drying wet charge
materials
using natural gas torches.  This procedure should at a minimum include the
following:
a)A specific assignment of responsibility to those employees who
will be responsible for drying the charge materials. Ensure that
drying of the metal is performed only by employees who are
specifically assigned that responsibility.
b)A specific assignment of responsibility to those employees who
will be responsible for inspecting the charge materials after drying
to ensure all moisture has been removed from the metal.  Ensure
that inspection of the metal is performed only by employees who
are specifically assigned that responsibility.
c)Specific criteria for determining which scrap material requires
drying and which does not.
d)Detailed work procedures to be followed when drying the charge
materials using natural gas torches which will ensure uniform and
complete drying of the metal.
e)A detailed description of the charge inspection procedures that will
be followed to ensure that no residual moisture remains in the
charge material when the drying has been completed.  These
procedures should be sufficient to ensure that wet metal is never
placed into the furnace.
f)A means of enforcing the charge drying procedures and the charge
inspection procedures.
2.Store all charge materials in a covered area to prevent collection of
moisture in
the charge materials.
3.Install a pre-heater or scrap dryer designed to maximize the removal of
water or
moisture before the charge enters the metal bath.4.Protect employees from
metal splash through the use of a remote charging system
to feed all charge materials, including remelt, into the furnace.  Remote
charging
systems permit the furnace operator to be safely back from the furnace or
behind
protective screens during charging.  Use American Foundry's vibratory
conveyor
to feed all charge materials, including remelt risers, into the furnace.
If remelt
risers are too long to be fed in this matter, cut the remelt into shorter
pieces or
design the gates and risers in the castings so they are the right size.
5.Use a combination of the options listed above, such as a
preheater/dryers and
remote charging system, undercover storage of charge materials and detailed
work procedures for drying charge material/inspection of charge material,
etc.
The employer is not limited to any of the recommended abatement methods.

Issued

2002-07-30 00:00:00

Abate by

2002-08-03 00:00:00

Penalty

Initial $5000.00 · Current $10000.00

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 in that
employees such as but not
limited to melters were exposed to being splashed with molten metal or
struck by sparks while
wearing synthetic clothing that would readily ignite, melt and stick to
the skin.  On or about
2/1/02, Steven Meredith, a melter, was exposed to a water/metal explosion.
He was wearing
clothing made from 65polyester, which ignited and burned.
Among others methods, acceptable and feasible means of abatement to
correct his hazard are as
follows:
1.Provide and enforce the use of secondary protective clothing, such as
but not
limited to flame resistant overalls.  Secondary protective clothing should
be worn
under primary protective clothing.
2.Implement and enforce American Foundry Group's written work rule that no
synthetic clothing should be worn in the foundry.  Train employees on this
work
rule and the reasons that synthetic materials are hazardous in foundry
settings.
3.Develop and implement a system for ensuring that no synthetic materials
are worn
in the foundry.
The employer is not limited to any of the recommended abatement methods.

Issued

2002-07-30 00:00:00

Abate by

2002-08-17 00:00:00

Penalty

Initial $5000.00 · Current $3000.00 Reduced

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 in that the
employer
had not
implemented measures to prevent employees from entering the hazardous
zones around the
furnaces.
Among other methods, acceptable and feasible means of abatement follow:
1.As recommended by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) in
ANSI
Z241.2, paragraph E.5.2.4.1, designate the area extending from the edge of
each
furnace to a distance of approximately 20 feet or 5 times the inside
diameter of
the crucible (whichever is greater) radially from the center of the
furnace as a
hazardous zone. Outline the border of the hazardous zone with a physical
barrier.
2.Designate the same safety area as described above with entrance limited
to
authorized employees performing authorized tasks.  Outline the border of
this
area with yellow lines on the floor and signs posted to indicate that it
is a
hazardous area.
3.As outlined by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) in ANSI
Z241.2, designate which employees will be authorized to enter the hazardous
zones around the furnaces. Specify the tasks for which each of those
employees
will be responsible.  Restrict access to the hazardous zones to the
authorized
entrants and allow them to enter only to perform authorized tasks.
4.Ensure that all authorized personnel, including furnace operators, stay
out of the
hazardous zones around the furnace as much as possible.  Use remotely
controlled
charging, slagging, pouring, sampling and temperature measuring devices
whenever practical.
Remote charging systems permit the furnace operator to be safely back from
the furnace or
behind protective screens during charging.  Use American Foundry's
vibratory conveyor to feed
all charge materials, including remelt risers, into the furnace.  If
remelt risers are too long to
be fed in this manner, cut the remelt into shorter pieces or design the
gates and risers in the
castings so that they are the right size.
5.Implement and enforce written procedures that include which employees are
authorized to enter the zone and specify what personal protective
equipment is to
be worn in the hazardous zone.
The employer is not limited to the recommended abatement methods.

Issued

2002-07-30 00:00:00

Abate by

2002-08-07 00:00:00

Penalty

Initial $7000.00