Weighty Fines for Lead and Noise in Pennsylvania

Nov. 5, 2002
OSHA went to Mars Pennsylvania, that is and issued citations against Concast Metal Products Co. for noise and lead violations that carry weighty fines.

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.

About the Author

Sandy Smith

Sandy Smith is the former content director of EHS Today, and is currently the EHSQ content & community lead at Intelex Technologies Inc. She has written about occupational safety and health and environmental issues since 1990.

Sponsored Recommendations

June 16, 2025
This free guide will define complacency, explain individual and organizational complacency, provide insights into the contributing factors and give a high-level overview of what...
May 22, 2025
Heat stress is a serious challenge that poses immediate and long-term health effects for workers in high-temperature environments. To combat heat stress, it's critical to educate...
May 15, 2025
Foot safety is a serious concern. At your next safety meeting, give your crew eye-opening facts about feet and how proper footwear matters more than they may know. Show your team...
May 15, 2025
If reimbursing employees for safety footwear is how its always been done, maybe its time to learn about the advantages a managed footwear program can offer instead. See a ...

Voice your opinion!

To join the conversation, and become an exclusive member of EHS Today, create an account today!