The agency initiated a health inspection on March 25 as part of its national emphasis program on lead exposure. Robert Szymanski, area director for the Pittsburgh area office, said the health inspection and a subsequent safety inspection found three alleged willful violations carrying a proposed penalty of $136,500; 18 alleged serious violations with a proposed penalty of $35,750; and five alleged other-than-serious violations, which have no penalty.
"By not adhering to OSHA requirements, the company is fostering an unhealthy and unsafe work environment for its employees," said Szymanski. "Immediate abatement of these hazards is critical to the protection of workers on the site."
He said the willful citations reflect the company's inadequate hearing conservation program, failure to provide employees with confined space training, and failure to properly clean furnace decks and the production floor. Serious violations stemmed from employee exposure to exposure to lead, hazardous dust and fumes over the permissible limit; failure to provide personal protective equipment and clothing to employees exposed to molten metal; noise exposure and failure to provide adequate hearing protection; an inadequate respiratory protection program; and an insufficient lockout/tagout program.
The company has 15 days to request an informal hearing, contest the citations or pay the fine.
