OSHA Inspection: WISCONSIN ALUMINUM FOUNDRY CO., INC.

Issued

Sep 26, 2025

Penalty

Initial $16,550 · Current $8,274 Reduced

General-duty citation text

OSH ACT of 1970 Section (5)(a)(1): 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 that were exposed to crushed and struck-by hazards from falling sand molds while moving them with mold manipulators attached to overhead cranes.  On or about June 10, 2025, at an establishment located at 838 South 16th Street in Manitowoc, Wisconsin, in the Core Department; an employee was exposed to crushed and struck-by hazards created by a cope mold weighing approximately 6,000 lbs., which was not secured from falling out of the Omega B10,000 mold manipulator (Machine No.: 13744/001) when the gripping nails on the pressure pads were worn. Employees were required to move and manipulate molds with the manipulator that was attached to the load hook of a Superior 15-ton overhead crane (Serial No.: 171281).

Issued

Sep 26, 2025

Penalty

Initial $0 · Current $0

General-duty citation text

OSH ACT of 1970 Section (5)(a)(1): 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 that were exposed to crushed and struck-by hazards from falling sand molds while moving them with mold manipulators attached to overhead cranes.  On or about June 10, 2025, at an establishment located at 838 South 16th Street in Manitowoc, Wisconsin, in the Core Department; an employee working under a cope mold that weighed approximately 6,000 lbs., was exposed to crushed and struck-by hazards to the arms and hands when the cope fell from the Omega B10,000 mold manipulator (machine No.:13744/001).

Issued

Sep 26, 2025

Abate by

Oct 27, 2025

Penalty

Initial $14,188 · Current $7,094 Reduced

General-duty citation text

29 CFR  1910.147(d):The established procedure for the application of energy control (the lockout or tagout procedures) did not cover the actions listed in and was not done in sequence as required by 29 CFR 1910.147(d)(1)-(6):  On or about September 15, 2025, at an establishment located at 838 South 16th Street in Manitowoc, Wisconsin, in the Shell Core area; employees were exposed to machine hazards associated with moving parts when they engaged in die changes and setup activities on the shell core machines. The employer did not ensure that employees implemented energy control application steps or equivalent protective measures prior to allowing them to perform die changes and setup the machine.  The machine was not deenergized prior to employees engaging in the servicing / maintenance activity exposing employees to gas and hydraulic energies.  As a result, the remaining applicable energy control elements, involving machine isolation [1910.147(d)(3)], lockout/tagout device application [1910.147(d)(4)], dissipation of residual energy [1910(d)(5)(i)], and verification of isolation [1910.147(d)(6)] were not implemented to protect employees from machine hazards.

Issued

Sep 26, 2025

Abate by

Mar 31, 2026

Penalty

Initial $14,188 · Current $7,094 Reduced

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1910.212(a)(1): Machine Guarding. Types of guarding. One or more methods of machine guarding shall be provided to protect the operator and other employees in the machine area from hazards such as those created by point of operation, ingoing nip points, rotating parts, flying chips and sparks. Examples of guarding methods are - barrier guards, two-hand tripping devices, electronic safety devices, etc.  On or about June 17, 2025, at an establishment located at 838 South 16th Street, in Manitowoc, Wisconsin, in the Shell Core area; employees making sand cores on the 200, 400, and 600 Dependable shell core machines were exposed to struck and crushed-by hazards created by the movement of the rotating carriages and the fixed frames of the machines. The machines were not guarded to prevent exposure to these hazards.

Issued

Sep 26, 2025

Abate by

Dec 31, 2025

Penalty

Initial $16,550 · Current $2,000 Reduced

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1910.179(j)(2): Frequent inspection. The following items shall be inspected for defects at intervals as defined in paragraph (j)(1)(ii) of this section or as specifically indicated, including observation during operation for any defects which might appear between regular inspections. All deficiencies such as listed shall be carefully examined and determination made as to whether they constitute a safety hazard:  On or about June 10, 2025, at an establishment located at 838 South 16th Street in Manitowoc, Wisconsin, in the Core Department; frequent inspections of the overhead cranes such as, but not limited to, the 15-ton overhead crane (Serial No.: 171281), were not performed as defined in sections (j)(2)(i)-(j)(2)(vii) of the standard, to ensure all of the crane's operating and lifting components were in safe operation.

Issued

Sep 26, 2025

Abate by

Dec 31, 2025

Penalty

Initial $0 · Current $0

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1910.179(l)(3)(i): Adjustments and repairs. Any unsafe conditions disclosed by the inspection requirements of paragraph (j) of this section shall be corrected before operation of the crane is resumed. Adjustments and repairs shall be done only by designated personnel.  On or about May 27, 2025, at an establishment located at 838 South 16th Street in Manitowoc, Wisconsin, in the Core Department; overhead cranes such as, but not limited to, the Superior 15-ton overhead crane (Serial No.: 19283) was not removed from service after frequent inspection reports from an independent third-party contractor indicated the wire rope had two broken strands and the control transmitter was damaged.