Text For Citation: 02 Item/Group: 001 Hazard: BURNS

Section 5(a)(1) of the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970: The employer did not furnish employmnent 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 burn injuries from explosions of molten metal in casting operations: On or about June 3, 2000: Casting Shop, Casting Station #21: Employees who performed semicontinous direct chill casting were exposed to serious burns from explosions which occurred when molten metal contacted water in the casting tank. Two workers received second and third degreee burns when molten metal that was being cast into a billets, contacted water and caused a water/metal explosion. Amongst others, some feasible means of abatement include the following: 1. Increase the distance of the worker from casting operations that involve molten metal. 2. Provide protective barriers such as screens between the worker and casting operations that involve molten metal. 3. Develop a written preventative maintenance program to ensure proper operation of tilt controls for furnaces, casting tanks, billet molds, and mold plugs. 4. Require that the furnace tilt control device automatically return to its "off" position when the manual initiating force is removed. (Reference: ANSI Z241.2-1989 at 5.3.5.2.1 General Safeguards Electric Furnaces) 6. Provide means for monitoring water temperature at each casting tank where direct chill casting is done. 7. Develop a training program for semicontinous direct chill casting that identifies factors causing billet leakouts and hangups, provides information on early recognition of billet leakouts and hangups, that contains the procedures to follow for billet leakouts and hangups, and that states any checks or corrections that should be made when the finished billet is found to have areas of bulging (weeping). Abatement Documentation Required For This Item The Employer Was Previously Cited For A Violation Of This Occupational Safety and Health Standard Which Was Contained In OSHA Inspection Number 123298093, Citation Number 1, Item Number 1, Issued on 07/07/1999, With Respect To A Workplace Located At 75 Liberty, Ansonia, Connecticut, 06401, Final Order Date August 19, 1999.t