Two inspections by OSHA at the Wyman Gordon Forgings facility in Houston have resulted in 45 alleged serious citations and proposed fines totaling $138,000.
OSHA began its first inspection on Nov. 4, 2002 following a complaint. That inspection of Wyman Gordon Forgings resulted in 44 alleged serious violations including failure to provide periodic inspections of cranes and lifting devices, failure to provide personal protective equipment, failure to implement lockout/tagout procedures for energized equipment and failure to provide the necessary training to operate and maintain hazardous machinery.
A second inspection that began in December 2002 resulted in a serious citation totaling $5,000 for subjecting employees to excessive noise levels. "Administrative and/or engineering controls were not utilized to reduce noise levels," said John Lawson, OSHA's area director at the Houston north area office.
Wyman Gordon Forgings employs about700 workers in Houston. Precision Castparts Corp. in Portland, Ore. owns the firm, a subsidiary of Wyman Gordon, headquartered in North Grafton, Mass. Wyman Gordon Forgings has 15 days to respond to the citation.
