A Middletown foundry willfully exposed workers to numerous safety and health hazards, according to an investigation by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration that found the company engaged in 14 violations with penalties of $303,106.
OSHA opened an inspection on March 9, 2022, at the Engineered Precision Casting Co. – a steel and aluminum foundry – in response to a complaint.
Inspectors determined the company did not provide employees with required personal protective equipment, and failed to provide hazard communication training on the chemicals in use and on energy control procedures – known as lockout/tagout – to prevent sudden machine starts or parts movement while machines are serviced or maintained.
The federal agency also found the company had not established an inspection program for overhead cranes or implemented a written respiratory protection program.
Engineered Precision Casting Co. also failed to provide suitable facilities in the work area for employees to quickly drench or flush their eyes and body in an emergency.
In all, OSHA cited Engineered Precision Casting Co. for two willful, 10 serious and two other-than-serious violations.
Among the violations:
- The company didn’t ensure workers wearing prescription lenses had protective eyewear.
- The company didn’t have written procedures for employees required to wear N95 respirators.
- The company didn’t specifically outline rules and techniques to control hazardous energy.
- The company didn’t retrain employees when there was a change in their job assignment.
- In a room where 95% sodium hydroxide, a corrosive chemical, was used, an eyewash station wasn’t accessible in an emergency because it was blocked by boxes, equipment parts and drums.
- The company hadn’t inspected equipment, such as an overhead crane, within the previous 12 months.
- Space in front of a 480-volt electrical panel that powered the cutoff saws and ventilation was used to store empty drums and drums used to hold excess cutoff material.
“The violations we identified at the Engineered Precision Casting Co. exposed their employees to serious risks of injury or worse,” explained OSHA Area Director Paula Dixon-Roderick in Marlton, New Jersey. “Employers have a legal responsibility to ensure a safe and healthful workplace. This company must immediately address the hazards our inspectors found and take actions to prevent workers from suffering harm needlessly.”
The Engineered Precision Casting Co. is a foundry making steel and aluminum parts for the aircraft and aerospace, military and defense, oil and gas, and other industries.
Engineered Precision is a foundry that has made steel and aluminum parts for more than 70 years. The company has 72 workers, according to OSHA, and it operates in a 60,000-square-foot facility, with clients in several industries, including aerospace, defense, and oil and gas.
The company had 15 business days from receipt of its citations and penalties to comply, request an informal conference with OSHA’s area director, or contest the findings before the independent Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission.