OSHA Proposes Penalties Following Fatal Foundry Accident

March 6, 2001
OSHA cited Union Foundry Co., Anniston, Ala., and proposed\r\npenalties totaling $181,200 following the investigation of a\r\nfatality at the plant.

OSHA cited Union Foundry Co., Anniston, Ala., and proposed penalties totaling $181,200 for serious, willful and repeat safety and health violations following the investigation of an Aug. 22 fatality at the plant.

The accident happened when an employee was caught in an unguarded conveyor pulley while he attempted to unclog a sand chute nearby.

"This tragic accident could have easily been prevented if the employer had adopted standard safety procedures that guard workers from hazards associated with moving machine parts," said Ramona Morris, acting director of OSHA''s Birmingham area office.

Following a safety inspection, OSHA proposed a penalty of $70,000 for one willful citation in connection with the unguarded conveyor pulley.

"A willful citation results in cases where there appears to be an intentional disregard of, or plain indifference to, the requirements of the OSH Act and regulations," said Morris. "In this case, the conveyor pulley''s guard had been removed three months earlier when the machinery was relocated while new equipment was installed. The guard was never replaced even though it was sitting near the machine in plain view."

Morris added, "We issued a willful citation against Union Foundry because no effort was made to assure the safety of workers even though management was aware that an unguarded conveyor could result in serious injury or death. In fact, only months before, a workers had been killed in a similar accident in a Tyler, Texas, plant owned by the same parent company that owns the Anniston foundry."

The safety inspection resulted in an additional $58,500 penalty for 17 serious citations for: electrical violations, including unmarked and open circuit breakers; an unguarded pit opening; other unguarded machines, and operating a crane without clearly marked load rates and audible warning devices.

The agency also cited two repeat safety violations with total penalties of $12,500 for operating defective powered industrial trucks and failing to ground electrical equipment. Both violations had been cited previously following OSHA inspections of the company in 1999.

A health inspection was initiated, shortly after the fatality investigation began, as part of OSHA''s national emphasis program for silica.

This inspection resulted in seven serious health violations with proposed penalties totaling $40,000.

Violations included failure to follow silica dust standards and not providing personal protective equipment to employees exposed to noise and chemical hazards.

by Virginia Sutcliffe

About the Author

EHS Today Staff

EHS Today's editorial staff includes:

Dave Blanchard, Editor-in-Chief: During his career Dave has led the editorial management of many of Endeavor Business Media's best-known brands, including IndustryWeekEHS Today, Material Handling & LogisticsLogistics Today, Supply Chain Technology News, and Business Finance. In addition, he serves as senior content director of the annual Safety Leadership Conference. With over 30 years of B2B media experience, Dave literally wrote the book on supply chain management, Supply Chain Management Best Practices (John Wiley & Sons, 2021), which has been translated into several languages and is currently in its third edition. He is a frequent speaker and moderator at major trade shows and conferences, and has won numerous awards for writing and editing. He is a voting member of the jury of the Logistics Hall of Fame, and is a graduate of Northern Illinois University.

Adrienne Selko, Senior Editor: In addition to her roles with EHS Today and the Safety Leadership Conference, Adrienne is also a senior editor at IndustryWeek and has written about many topics, with her current focus on workforce development strategies. She is also a senior editor at Material Handling & Logistics. Previously she was in corporate communications at a medical manufacturing company as well as a large regional bank. She is the author of Do I Have to Wear Garlic Around My Neck?, which made the Cleveland Plain Dealer's best sellers list.

Nicole Stempak, Managing Editor:  Nicole Stempak is managing editor of EHS Today and conference content manager of the Safety Leadership Conference.

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