Cal/OSHA cites foundry for confined space accident after amputation
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The California Occupational Safety and Health Administration said Wednesday it has cited Alhambra Foundry Co. Ltd. for workplace safety and health violations following a confined space accident that resulted in the amputation of an employee’s legs, with $283,390 in proposed fines.
In August, two workers at the foundry were cleaning and unjamming a 38-foot-long auger screw conveyor at the bottom hopper of an industrial air filtration device. One of the workers re-entered the 20-inch-square opening after the cleaning was done to retrieve a work light. A maintenance worker 45 feet away energized the equipment to perform a test. The moving auger screw pulled the worker into the screw conveyor. Both his legs had to be amputated to free him, Cal/OSHA said in a statement.
Cal/OSHA issued eight citations to Alhambra Foundry Co. after an investigation found that foundry did not have the permit-required confined space program, the screw conveyor was not de-energized and locked out before workers entered the hopper, and that Alhambra Foundry lacked specific procedures for de-energizing and locking out the equipment, according the statement.
“Sending a worker into a confined space is dangerous, especially inside machinery that can be powered on at any time. Employers must ensure that machinery and equipment are de-energized and locked out before workers enter the space to perform operations involving cleaning and servicing,” San Francisco-based Cal/OSHA Chief Juliann Sum said in a statement.
The attorney representing Alhambra could not be immediately reached for comment.
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