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Through the Alliance, OSHA and AFS will encourage AFS members and others, including small businesses, in the metalcasting industry to increase employee access to safety and health information and training resources on workplace issues. In particular, the Alliance will address personal protective equipment (PPE), heat stress and reducing and preventing exposure to silica. The Alliance's goals include:

Training and education:

• Work with OSHA to provide expertise to develop workplace safety and health curricula on the foundry workplace issues including, PPE, heat stress and silica.

Outreach and communication:

• Work with OSHA to provide expertise in developing information on the recognition and prevention of workplace hazards, and to provide expertise in developing ways of communicating such information (e.g. print and electronic media, electronic assistance tools and OSHA's and AFS's Web sites) to employers and employees in the industry.
• Share information among OSHA personnel, including Compliance Safety and Health Officers, and industry safety and health professionals regarding AFS's best practices or effective approaches and publicize results through outreach by AFS and through OSHA- or AFS-developed materials, training programs, workshops, seminars, and lectures (or any other applicable forum).
• Work with other Alliance participants on specific issues and projects regarding PPE, ventilation and silica issues that are addressed and developed through the Alliance Program.
• Encourage AFS chapters' or worksites' to build relationships with OSHA's Regional and Area Offices to address health and safety issues, including PPE, heat stress and silica.

Promoting the national dialogue on workplace safety and health:

• Develop and disseminate case studies illustrating the business value of safety and health and publicize their results.

Milestones and Successes

• American Foundry Society Alliance Milestones and Successes (2010, July).

Related Documents

Alliance Agreements

• Agreement signed March 22, 2004.
• Renewal Agreement signed April 28, 2006.
• Renewal Agreement signed April 11, 2008.

Alliance Annual Reports

• Alliance Annual Report 2004-2005, Office of Outreach Services and Alliances.
• Alliance Annual Report 2005-2006, Office of Outreach Services and Alliances.
• Alliance Annual Report 2006-2007, Office of Outreach Services and Alliances.
• Alliance Annual Report 2007-2008, Office of Outreach Services and Alliances.
• Alliance Annual Report 2008-2009, Office of Outreach Services and Alliances.
• Alliance Annual Report 2009-2010, Office of Outreach Services and Alliances.
• Alliance Annual Report 2010-2011, Office of Outreach Services and Alliances.

Alliance News Releases

• OSHA, American Foundry Society Form Alliance. OSHA News Release (2004, March 22).
• OSHA, American Foundry Society Renew Alliance. OSHA News Release (2006, April 28).
• OSHA Renews Alliance with the American Foundry Society. OSHA News Release (2008, April 14).

Best Practices Seminars

• OSHA and AFS Alliance "AFS Foundry Best Practices Seminars." Through the OSHA and AFS Alliance, AFS representatives conduct training seminars for OSHA, State Plan, and On-site Consultation staff. AFS representatives provide information on the safety and health hazards that might exist in a foundry and control measures that could be used to address these hazards. [More…]

Additional Activities and Events

• May 5-11, 2013: 2013 North American Occupational Safety and Health (NAOSH) Week. The American Foundry Society (AFS) and a number of other Alliance Program participants support 2013 NAOSH Week. Sponsored annually by the American Society of Safety Engineers and the Canadian Society of Safety Engineering, the Week focuses on the importance of preventing injuries and illnesses in the workplace. 2013 Theme: "Worker Safety Works for Everyone."
• May 6-12, 2012: 2012 North American Occupational Safety and Health (NAOSH) Week. The American Foundry Society (AFS) and a number of other Alliance Program participants support 2012 NAOSH Week. Sponsored annually by ASSE and the Canadian Society of Safety Engineering, the Week focuses on the importance of preventing injuries and illnesses in the workplace. 2012 Theme: "Safety, What Every Business Needs."
• April 17-19, 2012: 116th Metalcasting Congress, Columbus, Ohio.
  • April 17-19, 2012: OSHA personnel from Region V at Alliance exhibit booth.

Products and Resources

• Alliance Program Participant Background

Alliance Program Participant Developed Products

• Fact Sheet: Hearing Protection in Metalcasting Facilities [PDF^* - 101 KB]. Through the OSHA and American Foundry Society (AFS) Alliance, AFS developed "Fact Sheet: Hearing Protection in Metalcasting Facilities.” This Fact Sheet provides metalcasting employers and workers with an overview of how to manage noise exposure in metalcasting facilities. (2010, April) 
  
• Establishing a Foundry Heat Stress Management Program [PDF^* - 427 KB]. Through the OSHA and American Foundry Society (AFS) Alliance, AFS developed, "White Paper: Establishing a Foundry Heat Stress Management Program." The White Paper is designed to provide foundry industry employers and employees with information that can help control the potential hazards of heat stress. (2008, December)
• Control of Silica Exposure in Foundries [PDF^* - 3 MB]. Through the OSHA and American Foundry Society (AFS) Alliance, AFS developed "Control of Silica Exposure in Foundries." The document is designed to provide foundry industry employers and employees with information that can help control the potential hazards of respirable crystalline silica. (2008, April)
• Guide for the Selection & Use of Personal Protective Equipment & Special Clothing for Foundry Operations [PDF^* - 916 KB]. Through the OSHA and American Foundry Society (AFS) Alliance, AFS developed "Guide for the Selection & Use of Personal Protective Equipment & Special Clothing for Foundry Operations." The Guide describes special considerations for the selection and use of personal protective equipment and special clothing in the foundry industry. (2005, September)

OSHA Safety and Health Topics Pages

• Control of Hazardous Energy (Lockout/Tagout)
• Occupational Heat Exposure
• Lead
• Powered Industrial Trucks
• Respiratory Protection
• Silica, Crystalline
• Ventilation

OSHA eTools

• Powered Industrial Trucks (Forklift)⁺
• Silica

Case Studies

• "Ventilation Upgrade Reduces Silica Exposure at Grede Foundries, Inc. Facility in Reedsburg, Wisconsin". OSHA. Grede Foundries implemented measures to reduce employees' exposure to silica at its plant in Reedsburg, Wisconsin. Silica exposures were reduced by more than 50 percent to levels well below the OSHA permissible exposure limit. (2008, September)
• "Silica Dust Control Improvement: Grinding of Iron Castings with Portable Tools at Kennedy Valve Foundry in Elmira, New York". OSHA. Kennedy Valve Foundry implemented measures to reduce workers' exposure to silica at its plant in Elmira, New York. (2009, June)
• "Clearing the Air at Acme Foundry: Integrated Engineering Design of a New Casting Cleaning and Finishing Facility". OSHA. Acme Foundry reduced worker exposure to silica and made other workplace safety and health improvements in the expanded cleaning and finishing department at its foundry in Coffeyville, Kansas. (2010, February)

Success Stories

• Metal Casting Facility's Work with OSHA On-site Consultation and Participation in Iowa VPP Lead to Improved Workplace Safety and Health. OSHA. February 2011. Through the OSHA and American Foundry Society Alliance, OSHA collaborated with the Clow Valve Company, a metal casting facility, to highlight how the company's commitment to safety, work with On-site Consultation, and participation in Iowa VPP resulted in improved workplace safety and health performance.

Publications and Newsletters

• AFS eConnections, August 15, 2006. This edition of AFS's weekly e-newsletter includes an article, "Phone Scams Threaten OSHA Fines" that describes an alleged phone scam in which people claiming to be OSHA employees threaten companies with fines unless they purchase materials that will supposedly put them into compliance with OSHA requirements.

Additional Resources

• AFS/OSHA Alliance page

⁺Alliance Implementation Team members participated in the development of this resource.

Areas of Emphasis

• General Industry
• Silica-Related Diseases
• Small Business

Accessibility Assistance: Contact the OSHA Directorate of Cooperative and State Programs at 202-693-2200 for assistance accessing PDF materials.

^*These files are provided for downloading.