OSHA issues 9 violations to Waupaca foundry core manufacturer

Listen to this article

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration announced this week that it issued nine serious violations and one other-than-serious safety violation to Alliance Industries Inc., of Menasha, for failing to comply with safety standards related to sulfur dioxide use at its Waupaca facility.

In all, the proposed penalties totaled $41,580.

The facility manufacturers foundry sand cores and performs metal coating. A February investigation, in response to a complaint, found the company failed to:

• Use good engineering practices for its sulfur dioxide delivery system;
• Compile process safety technology and equipment information for the delivery system;
• Develop a mechanical integrity program for the system;
• Conduct a process hazard analysis of the system;
• Develop written procedure for those operating the system; and
• Conduct an annual inspection of energy control procedures

Sulfur dioxide is a toxic gas that can cause respiratory and other health issues when inhaled, said Robert Bonack, OSHA’s area director in its Appleton office, in a news release.