OSHA fines Pennsylvania foundry for repeat violations

Domestic Casting Co. LLC, Shippensburg, Pa., has been cited by the U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration for 26 alleged safety violations found at its Shippensburg foundry. The company faces $163,240 in proposed penalties for seven repeat, 16 serious and three other-than-serious safety violations. OSHA initiated an inspection in August 2013 in response to a complaint.

"Compromising worker safety will not be tolerated. Domestic Casting continues to put its workers at risk of serious injury or possible death by not addressing and correcting these hazards," says Kevin Kilp, director of OSHA's Harrisburg (Pennsylvania) Area Office. "Employers that fail to uphold their responsibility to protect workers and provide a safe and healthful workplace will be held accountable."

The repeat violations included open-sided floors and platforms that were not guarded with standard railings and other safety features; permanent, durable identification was not affixed to alloy steel slings; pulleys were not properly guarded; sprocket wheels and chains were not enclosed; electrical hazards; and pull and junction boxes and fittings were not provided with approved covers.

The company was cited for similar violations in 2011 and 2013.

The serious violations include:

• Workers exposed to struck-by, fall, amputation, electrical and tripping hazards.
• Employees operating unrepaired cranes.
• Lack of frequent and periodic inspections performed on cranes, and lacking certification records of inspections.
• Platforms without standard railings and flights of stairs unequipped with at least one handrail.
• Employees accessing different structure levels without fixed stairs and ladders.
• Failing to ensure that loads transported by forklifts were secure.
• Rated load not plainly marked on each side of a crane, and pendant control boxes not clearly marked with identification of functions.
• No preventive maintenance program based on the crane manufacturer's recommendation.
• Fixed ladders not installed with appropriate clearance space in the path of travel.

The other-than-serious violations, with no penalty, were resulted from stair rails without an immediate rail and damaged equipment parts.