Text For Citation: 01 Item/Group: 002 Hazard: FALLING

Section 5(a)(1) of the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970: The employer did not furnish employment and a place of employment which were free from recognized hazards that were causing or likely to cause death or serious physical harm to employees in that employees were exposed to the hazard of stepping or falling into the production furnace metal wells containing molten aluminum: Maintenance employees stood on the gas and electric production furnaces while performing maintenance and service work on items such as but not limited to furnace components and automatic ladles. a.On or about December 12, 2002, a maintenance employee stood on gas production furnace #8 at die cast machine #8 with one foot on the edge or lip of the metal well containing molten metal and one foot on the die cast machine. The employee was exposed to the hazard of stepping or falling into the molten metal. b.On or about the week of December 8, 2002, a maintenance employee stood on top of an electric production furnace at die cast machine #4 to work on the automatic ladle. The employee was exposed to the hazard of stepping or falling into the molten metal. c.On or about December 14, 2002, a maintenance employee stood on top of a electric production furnace at die cast machine #14 to work on the automatic ladle. The employee was exposed to the hazard of stepping or falling into the molten metal. d.On or about January 13, 2003 a maintenance employee stood on top of an electric production furnace at die cast machine #32 to work on the automatic ladle. The employee was exposed to the hazard of stepping or falling into the molten metal. e.In early January, 2003, a maintenance employee stood on top of a gas production furnace at die cast machine #8 to replace the thermocouple and ignitor. The employee was exposed to the hazard of stepping or falling into the molten metal. Feasible abatement methods could include but are not limited to: 1.Provide a mobile ladder stand or platform to be used when working on furnaces so that employees would not need to stand on top of the furnaces. Provide a cover that can be placed over the metal well that would provide insulation from the heat and prevent the employees from contacting the molten metal. 2.Provide a cover that can be placed over the molten metal well that will support the weight of the employees and provide insulation from the heat. Secure the cover so that it will not move or slide off of the metal well. Disclaimers:The employer is not limited to the abatement methods suggested by OSHA. The methods explained are general and may not be effective in all cases. The employer is responsible for selecting and carrying out an appropriate abatement method. Step 1:As an interim measure, do not allow employees to stand or perform work on furnace tops or automatic ladles with molten aluminum in the wells of the furnaces. Step 2:Submit to the Area Director a detailed written plan of abatement including engineering controls designed by a Professional Engineer (P.E.) that will provide a means for employees to access the furnace tops and automatic ladle to perform work. Include a review of the engineering controls by an independent third party. Step 3:Train employees in the use of the engineering controls. Step 4:Implement the engineering controls.