Pennsylvania foundry cited again for OSHA work safety issues

On Behalf of | Jul 17, 2013 | Workplace Accidents

When you go into work, you have an expectation that you are going to come out of the worksite whole. Federal labor laws set safety standards across Pennsylvania. Each type of work has its own set and if an employer fails to meet the standards, workplace injuries due to dangerous conditions can result.

Workers’ compensation insurance is intended to help the injured worker in the event something tragic does occur. But getting the full level of benefits due can be a frustrating endeavor unless you enlist the help of an experienced attorney.

Efforts at prevention are the domain of government agencies like the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration. When inspectors find clear issues with health and safety in workplaces, they attempt to fix the situation by imposing fines.

That is the action that is being taken against an iron foundry operation in Shippensburg. OSHA officials went through the industrial site back in January and found a total of 23 serious health and safety violations that pose a threat of possible death or serious harm to workers. Now the company, Domestic Casting, is faced with proposed fines of more than $96,000.

Four of the citations reflected repeat offenses associated with a failure to install safety guards on electrical parts, machine gears, belts and a work platform. Those types of unsafe conditions were also cited among the other 19 violations. But violations also included unsafe conditions related to the use of silicates that can cause cancer, unsafe noise levels, and hazardous materials in the air.

It’s unclear if any worker injuries have occurred at the plant. The reports we’ve seen also don’t provide any comment from the company. It has 15 business days to respond to OSHA’s findings.

Source: CumberLink.com, “Shippensburg foundry cited for safety violations again,” Tammie Gitt, The Sentinel, July 17, 2013

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