The U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration charged ferrous foundry Frazer & Jones LLC with more than two dozen violations of federal safety and health regulations. The 27 citations carry proposed fines totaling $990,186.00.
Frazer & Jones – which casts ductile and malleable iron into parts for heavy truck and offroad machinery, oil-and-gas, industrial pumps, and several other customer sectors – will contest the citations and penalties to the independent Occupational Health and Safety Review Commission, OSHA added.
The agency contends that the Syracuse, NY, foundry exposed workers to risks of fire, explosion, thermal and chemical burns, falls, and other hazards.
Specifically, OSHA claims its inspectors found uncapped natural gas vent lines during industrial furnace maintenance; workers struck by operating cranes, hoists, and lifting devices with identified deficiencies; walking and working surfaces not protected by guardrails; workers’ asphyxiation risks from hazardous atmospheres; workers failing to lock-out energy sources before machine maintenance; workers risking thermal burns by lighting burners with a natural gas torch.
It also charges that workers were put at risk of chemical burns while using hazardous chemicals without labels or access to emergency eyewash stations; and were exposed to respirable crystalline silica without engineering controls or respiratory protection.
The current citations followed an inspection by OSHA during October. Frazer & Jones was previously cited and fined in 2019, for which it negotiated a settlement agreement with OSHA in 2021; and it was cited again in 2023.
“Frazer & Jones’ troubling history of exposing its employees to serious hazards must end,” stated OSHA area director Jeffrey Prebish. “Despite their agreement to correct violations, they once again failed to implement proper safeguards. OSHA will continue to perform its mission and hold employers accountable when they fail to meet their legal obligations to protect the safety and health of their workers.”