The U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration is proposing a $420,240 fine on General Aluminum Mfg. Co. for a total of 13 violations discovered at its Wapakoneta, OH, plant. The inspection at that plant in February followed similar violations discovered during inspections at other General Aluminum locations, including at its Conneaut, OH, plant in January.
Last year, the same foundry group was cited for 38 violations at its Ravenna, OH, foundry – which General Aluminum contested.
General Aluminum Mfg., a Park Ohio Holding Co. subsidiary, manufacturers automotive castings. Following the notification of the penalty, OSHA allowed General Aluminum 15 business days to comply, request an informal conference with OSHA’s area director, or contest the findings before the independent Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission.
OSHA detailed that during its February inspection it found a band saw and quench tank lacked adequate machine guarding, and that General Aluminum had failed to train workers servicing industrial machinery on energy control (aka lockout/tagout) procedures, which exposed workers to “amputation, caught-in, and struck-by hazards.
OSHA inspectors issued citations for comparable violations at the Conneaut and Ravenna foundries.
Inspectors cited the Wapakoneta plant with one repeat, two willful, and 10 serious violations for exposing workers to fall hazards while working on top of casting machines; burn hazards due to water accumulation around casting machines; and using improper personal protective equipment. Inspectors found workers there had been exposed to electrical and arc flashes, confined space, and powered industrial vehicle hazards.
“General Aluminum’s continued failure to protect its workers is a prime example of why OSHA’s Severe Violator Enforcement Program allows the agency to inspect any facility operated by a company cited for exposing workers to egregious hazards,” stated William Donovan, OSHA Regional Administrator. “This company repeatedly ignored OSHA and a third-party auditor’s recommendations to improve safety procedures and training, and immediately comply with industry and federal safety standards to demonstrate a commitment to protect workers.”
In June, OSHA cited General Aluminum’s Conneaut plant for eight violations, proposing $315,952 in penalties.