OSHA Casts Iron Foundry $44,300 Fine for Repeat, Health Violations
The repeat violations include a lack of guardrails on work platforms greater than 4 feet above the ground, a lack of eyewash and shower, and unguarded machinery.
OSHA has cited Domestic Casting Inc. LLC for exposing workers to safety and health hazards at its Shippensburg, Pa., facility. Proposed penalties total $44,300.
OSHA initiated an inspection on Feb. 22 as part of its Site-Specific Targeting Program, which focuses on industries with high injury and illness rates. As a result, the company was cited for four repeat violations, with a penalty of $18,400, and nine serious violations, with a penalty of $25,900. The employer also was cited for four other-than-serious violations, which carry no penalty.
"Each of these violations left foundry workers vulnerable to hazards that could cause serious injuries and possible death," said Kevin Kilp, director of OSHA's Harrisburg, Pa., area office. "It's vital that the company correct these hazards to protect its employees."
The repeat violations include a lack of guardrails on work platforms greater than 4 feet above the ground, a lack of eyewash and shower, and unguarded machinery.
The serious violations include open pits with no covers, a lack of handrails on stairways, a lack of or inadequate energy control procedures, a lack of energy control training, a lack of machine guarding, and a lack of guarding for live electrical parts.
The other-than-serious violations include disorderly and unsanitary conditions, a lack of gauges and alarms on a spray booth, insufficient clearance around electrical equipment, and inadequate testing of fire extinguishers.
Domestic Casting Inc. LLC, an iron foundry jobbing shop that makes various-shaped molds, has 95 employees.