OSHA Cites Domestic Casting Again
Already added to OSHA's Severe Violator Enforcement Program, the company faces more than two dozen new violations.
OSHA announced Jan. 5 that it has investigated, cited, and fined Domestic Casting for the eighth time for allegedly not protection employees of its iron foundry from safety and health hazards. OSHA's three most recent inspections found 27 total violations, and the agency issued $152,912 in fines for hazards previously identified, such as fall, machine guarding, and sling hazards.
In August 2013, the company was placed in OSHA's Severe Violator Enforcement Program after an inspection discovered it again failed to protect workers from electrical hazards and properly guard pits. "This company continues to ignore its employees' safety by exposing them to dangers, including falls and hazards associated with lifting heavy loads. Domestic Casting must take immediate action to remove these hazards to protect workers from the risk of serious injury and possible death," said Kevin Kilp, director of OSHA's Harrisburg Area Office.
According to OSHA, Domestic Casting exposed employees to dangerous falls by not providing fall protection for workers performing maintenance on an abrasive blasting machine, and not properly guarding platforms. The company also failed to mark chain slings used for lifting heavy loads to identify size, grade, capacity and reach. Two willful violations with a $52,350 penalty were cited for these violations.
Deficiencies in the foundry's lockout/tagout and respiratory protection programs, as well as electrical, fall, and machine guard hazards, were among the 12 repeat violations, carrying a $76,692 penalty.
OSHA also proposed a $23,870 penalty for eight serious violations involving unguarded machinery, forklift, struck-by, and electrical hazards, and fire extinguishers not maintained.