OSHA levies penalties against Columbus Steel Castings
Thursday, 05 Nov 2009
OSHA has cited Columbus Steel Castings Co. in Columbus with proposed penalties totaling USD 102,000 for alleged serious and repeat violations of federal workplace safety and health standards.
Columbus Steel Castings has been cited with four repeat violations, with proposed penalties of USD 62,500, for failure to enforce hazardous energy control, apply a lock on an energy isolation device, to guard the point of operation on a jag press, inadequate protection against welding rays, airborne overexposures to silica, and failure to implement engineering or administrative controls for silica overexposures.
OSHA issues a repeat violation when an employer has been cited in the past and the agency finds a substantially similar violation of any of the company's facilities in federal enforcement states. It also has received citations for 12 serious violations, with proposed fines of 39,500. Some of the violations address the company's failure to provide adequate training on hazardous energy control; flashback protection on fuel-gas torches; to have procedures for selection of respirators; to provide inspection, maintenance, and cleaning procedures for respirators; overexposure prevention to hexavalent chromium; and proper training for airborne exposures to cadmium and lead. A serious citation is issued when there is substantial probability that death or serious physical harm could result from a hazard about which the employer knew or should have known.
