Foundry Safety & The American Foundry Society (AFS)

Safety & Health Hazards Common to Foundries : http://www.pfaweb.org/manuals/Manual-safety/safety_V.pdf

NAOSH 2012 AFETY, WHAT EVERY BUSINESS NEEDS

NAOSH WEEK 2012
MAY 6-12; 2012
Safety, What Every Business Needs

Through the Alliance, OSHA and AFS will encourage AFS members and others, including small businesses, in the metalcasting industry to increase employee access to safety and health information and training resources on workplace issues. In particular, the Alliance will address personal protective equipment (PPE), heat stress and reducing and preventing exposure to silica. The Alliance’s goals include:

Training and education:

Work with OSHA to provide expertise to develop workplace safety and health curricula on the foundry workplace issues including, PPE, heat stress and silica.

Outreach and communication:

Work with OSHA to provide expertise in developing information on the recognition and prevention of workplace hazards, and to provide expertise in developing ways of communicating such information (e.g. print and electronic media, electronic assistance tools and OSHA’s and AFS’s Web sites) to employers and employees in the industry.
Share information among OSHA personnel, including Compliance Safety and Health Officers, and industry safety and health professionals regarding AFS’s best practices or effective approaches and publicize results through outreach by AFS and through OSHA- or AFS-developed materials, training programs, workshops, seminars, and lectures (or any other applicable forum).
Work with other Alliance participants on specific issues and projects regarding PPE, ventilation and silica issues that are addressed and developed through the Alliance Program.
Encourage AFS chapters’ or worksites’ to build relationships with OSHA’s Regional and Area Offices to address health and safety issues, including PPE, heat stress and silica.

Promoting the national dialogue on workplace safety and health:

Develop and disseminate case studies illustrating the business value of safety and health and publicize their results.

Milestones and Successes

American Foundry Society Alliance Milestones and Successes (2010, July).

Related Documents

Alliance Agreements

Agreement signed March 22, 2004.
Renewal Agreement signed April 28, 2006.
Renewal Agreement signed April 11, 2008.

Alliance Annual Reports

Alliance Annual Report 2004-2005, Office of Outreach Services and Alliances.
Alliance Annual Report 2005-2006, Office of Outreach Services and Alliances.
Alliance Annual Report 2006-2007, Office of Outreach Services and Alliances.
Alliance Annual Report 2007-2008, Office of Outreach Services and Alliances.
Alliance Annual Report 2008-2009, Office of Outreach Services and Alliances.

Alliance News Releases

OSHA, American Foundry Society Form Alliance. OSHA News Release (2004, March 22).
OSHA, American Foundry Society Renew Alliance. OSHA News Release (2006, April 28).
OSHA Renews Alliance with the American Foundry Society. OSHA News Release (2008, April 14).

Activities and Events (Archive)

May 6-12, 2012: 2012 North American Occupational Safety and Health (NAOSH) Week. The American Foundry Society and a number of other Alliance Program participants support 2012 NAOSH Week. Sponsored annually by ASSE and the Canadian Society of Safety Engineering, the Week focuses on the importance of preventing injuries and illnesses in the workplace. 2012 Theme: “Safety, What Every Business Needs.”
April 2009 to October 2011: OSHA and AFS Alliance “AFS Foundry Best Practices Seminars.” Through the OSHA and AFS Alliance, AFS representatives conducted training seminars for OSHA, State Plan, and On-site Consultation staff. AFS representatives provided information on the safety and health hazards that might exist in a foundry and control measures that could be used to address these hazards. [More…]
May 2-8, 2010: 2010 North American Occupational Safety and Health (NAOSH) Week. The American Foundry Society and a number of other Alliance Program participants supported 2010 NAOSH Week, “Mission NAOSH 2010: Safe Workplaces.” Sponsored annually by the American Society of Safety Engineers, an Alliance Program participant, and the Canadian Society of Safety Engineering, the Week focuses on the importance of preventing injuries and illnesses in the workplace.
October 19-25, 2009: 2009 “Drug-Free Work Week.” AFS and a number of other Alliance Program participants supported the 2009 Drug-Free Work Week. Sponsored annually by the U.S. Department of Labor’s “Working Partners for an Alcohol and Drug-Free Workplace Program”, the Week focuses on educating employers, employees and the public about the importance of being drug-free as an essential component of a safe and healthful workplace.
August 16-19, 2009: 21st AFS Environmental Health and Safety Conference, Indianapolis, Indiana.
- August 17, 2009: Ken Gilbert, Area Director, Indianapolis, Indiana Area Office, USDOL-OSHA, staffed the Alliance Program exhibit booth.
May 3-9, 2009: 2009 North American Occupational Safety and Health Week. The American Foundry Society and more than 55 other Alliance Program participants supported 2009 NAOSH Week. Sponsored annually by the American Society of Safety Engineers, an Alliance Program participant, and the Canadian Society of Safety Engineering, the Week focuses on the importance of preventing injuries and illnesses in the workplace. The theme for 2009 NAOSH Week was “Safety Means Always Coming Home.”
April 7-10, 2009: 113th Metalcasting Congress, Las Vegas, Nevada.
- April 7-10, 2009: Representatives from OSHA Region IX and Nevada OSHA staffed an Alliance Program exhibit booth during the conference.
August 24-27, 2008: 20th AFS Environmental Health and Safety Conference, St. Louis, Missouri.
- August 24-27, 2008: Representatives from OSHA staffed an Alliance Program exhibit booth during the conference.
May 17-20, 2008: Cast Expo 2008, Atlanta, Georgia.
- May 17-20, 2008: Marilyn Velez, Compliance Assistance Specialist, Region IV, Atlanta-West, Georgia Area Office, USDOL-OSHA; Anita Fountain, Compliance Safety and Health Officer, Region IV, Atlanta-West, Georgia Area Office, USDOL-OSHA; and Patricia Morris, Compliance Safety and Health Officer, Region IV, Atlanta-West, Georgia Area Office, USDOL-OSHA; staffed the Alliance Program exhibit booth during the conference.
May 4-10, 2008: 2008 North American Occupational Safety and Health (NAOSH) Week. The American Foundry Society and a number of other Alliance Program participants supported 2008 NAOSH Week, “Safety is Good Business.” Sponsored annually by the American Society of Safety Engineers and the Canadian Society of Safety Engineering, the Week focuses on the importance of preventing injuries and illnesses in the workplace.
April 9-11, 2008: AFS Government Affairs Conference, Washington, DC.
- April 11, 2008: Edwin G. Foulke, Jr., former-Assistant Secretary, USDOL-OSHA, made a presentation during the conference’s General Session and discussed OSHA’s outreach efforts. Following his speech, Mr. Foulke signed the OSHA and AFS Alliance renewal agreement.
- April 11, 2008: Richard Fairfax, Director, Directorate of Enforcement Programs, USDOL-OSHA; and Jim Maddux, then-Acting Director, Office of Biological Hazards, Directorate of Standards and Guidance, USDOL-OSHA; made presentations during a panel discussion “OSHA Enforcement and New PPE Rule.”
March 18, 2008: Safety in the Foundry XX Safety Seminar, Sheraton Music City Hotel, Nashville, Tennessee. Sandy Bennett, Manager of Training, Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development, presented “OSHA Recordkeeping” during the seminar.
March 11, 2008: AFS Keystone Chapter Meeting, Allentown, Pennsylvania. John McFee, Regional Safety and Occupational Health Specialist, Region III, USDOL-OSHA, gave a presentation on “OSHA Update…New PPE Payment Rule, Silica, Citations Found in Foundries.”
October 8, 2007: AFS 19th Environmental, Health and Safety Conference, Sheraton Music City Hotel, Nashville, Tennessee. Jan Cothron, Industrial Hygiene Manager, Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development, participated on a panel “AFS/OSHA Alliance Update . . . Top Compliance Issues Found in Foundries” during the conference.
October 8, 2007: Central Indiana Chapter Meeting, Indianapolis, Indiana. Scott Frosch, Senior Industrial Hygienist, Indiana Department of Labor Occupational Safety and Health Administration, made a presentation on safety and health issues that impact the foundry industry during the meeting.

Products and Resources

Alliance Program Participant Background

Alliance Program Participant Developed Products

Fact Sheet: Hearing Protection in Metalcasting Facilities [PDF^* – 101 KB]. Through the OSHA and American Foundry Society (AFS) Alliance, AFS developed “Fact Sheet: Hearing Protection in Metalcasting Facilities.” This Fact Sheet provides metalcasting employers and workers with an overview of how to manage noise exposure in metalcasting facilities. (2010, April)
White Paper: Establishing a Foundry Heat Stress Management Program [PDF^* – 427 KB]. Through the OSHA and American Foundry Society (AFS) Alliance, AFS developed, “White Paper: Establishing a Foundry Heat Stress Management Program.” The White Paper is designed to provide foundry industry employers and employees with information that can help control the potential hazards of heat stress. (2008, December)
Control of Silica Exposure in Foundries [PDF^* – 3 MB]. Through the OSHA and American Foundry Society (AFS) Alliance, AFS developed “Control of Silica Exposure in Foundries.” The document is designed to provide foundry industry employers and employees with information that can help control the potential hazards of respirable crystalline silica. (2008, April)
Guide for the Selection & Use of Personal Protective Equipment & Special Clothing for Foundry Operations [PDF^* – 916 KB]. Through the OSHA and American Foundry Society (AFS) Alliance, AFS developed “Guide for the Selection & Use of Personal Protective Equipment & Special Clothing for Foundry Operations.” The Guide describes special considerations for the selection and use of personal protective equipment and special clothing in the foundry industry. (2005, September)

OSHA Safety and Health Topics Pages

OSHA eTools

Powered Industrial Trucks (Forklift)⁺
Silica

Case Studies

“Ventilation Upgrade Reduces Silica Exposure at Grede Foundries, Inc. Facility in Reedsburg, Wisconsin.” OSHA. Grede Foundries implemented measures to reduce employees’ exposure to silica at its plant in Reedsburg, Wisconsin. Silica exposures were reduced by more than 50 percent to levels well below the OSHA permissible exposure limit. (2008, September)
“Silica Dust Control Improvement: Grinding of Iron Castings with Portable Tools at Kennedy Valve Foundry in Elmira, New York.” OSHA. Kennedy Valve Foundry implemented measures to reduce workers’ exposure to silica at its plant in Elmira, New York. (2009, June)
“Clearing the Air at Acme Foundry: Integrated Engineering Design of a New Casting Cleaning and Finishing Facility.” OSHA. Acme Foundry reduced worker exposure to silica and made other workplace safety and health improvements in the expanded cleaning and finishing department at its foundry in Coffeyville, Kansas. (2010, February)

Success Stories

Metal Casting Facility’s Work with OSHA On-site Consultation and Participation in Iowa VPP Lead to Improved Workplace Safety and Health. OSHA. February 2011. Through the OSHA and American Foundry Society Alliance, OSHA collaborated with the Clow Valve Company, a metal casting facility, to highlight how the company’s commitment to safety, work with On-site Consultation, and participation in Iowa VPP resulted in improved workplace safety and health performance.

Publications and Newsletters

AFS eConnections, August 15, 2006. This edition of AFS’s weekly e-newsletter includes an article, “Phone Scams Threaten OSHA Fines” that describes an alleged phone scam in which people claiming to be OSHA employees threaten companies with fines unless they purchase materials that will supposedly put them into compliance with OSHA requirements.

Additional Resources