22 Mar Foundry Worker Safety

Foundry Worker Safety

Foundry operations expose workers to a combination of serious hazards, including molten metal, extreme heat, fires and explosions, hazardous fumes, respirable crystalline silica, machinery, noise, and material-handling hazards. Employees must be properly trained and follow established procedures for the specific equipment, metals, and processes they perform.

Personal Protective Equipment

PPE must be selected based on the hazards of the specific foundry operation. Depending on the task, appropriate protection may include:

• Safety glasses with side shields.
• Goggles and/or an appropriate face shield for splash and particle hazards.
• Hard hat or other approved head protection.
• Heat- and flame-resistant gloves.
• Heat-resistant apron, jacket, cape, leggings, and spats when exposed to molten metal.
• Safety footwear appropriate for molten-metal, impact, and compression hazards.
• Hearing protection where noise exposure requires it.
• Respiratory protection when engineering and work-practice controls cannot adequately control airborne exposures.

Clothing worn around molten metal should be appropriate for the particular metal and process and designed so molten material cannot easily become trapped against the skin. Synthetic clothing that can melt onto the skin should not be worn where it creates an additional thermal hazard.

Respirators may only be used as required by the company’s Respiratory Protection Program, including required medical evaluation, fit testing, training, and proper respirator selection.

Molten Metal and Burn Hazards

Furnaces, ladles, crucibles, molds, and molten metals operate at extremely high temperatures and can cause catastrophic burns.

Employees must:

• Remain clear of pouring and molten-metal travel paths unless their duties require them to be there.
• Keep aisles and pouring areas clear of unnecessary personnel and materials.
• Inspect ladles, crucibles, lifting devices, and related equipment before use.
• Never use damaged or questionable equipment for molten-metal handling.
• Use tools specifically designed for the operation.
• Maintain secure footing while carrying out pouring operations.
• Keep combustible materials away from furnaces and pouring areas.
• Treat recently poured castings, molds, slag, and equipment as hot until verified otherwise.

Never reach across, step over, or unnecessarily position yourself near molten metal.

Water and Molten Metal

Water and molten metal can be an extremely dangerous combination. Moisture contacting certain molten metals can rapidly turn to steam, causing violent eruptions that eject molten material.

• Keep water, ice, snow, wet tools, and wet materials away from molten-metal operations.
• Ensure scrap, charge materials, tools, ladles, and other items introduced into molten metal are appropriately prepared and dry.
• Store charge materials where they will remain dry.
• Follow established procedures for preheating equipment and materials when required.
• Investigate suspected water leaks near furnaces immediately.

Never introduce wet or unknown material into molten metal.

Fire Protection

Foundries may present unusual fire hazards because combustible materials and certain metals require different extinguishing agents.

• Maintain appropriate fire-extinguishing equipment for the materials and hazards present.
• Class D extinguishing agents are required for fires involving combustible metals for which the agent is rated.
• Do not assume water or an ordinary ABC extinguisher is appropriate for a metal fire.
• Know the facility’s alarm and emergency evacuation procedures.
• Keep firefighting equipment visible and accessible.
• Employees should fight fires only when trained, authorized, properly equipped, and conditions permit safe response.

Follow the SDS and site-specific emergency procedures for the particular metal or material involved.

Metal Fumes and Airborne Contaminants

Melting, pouring, welding, cutting, grinding, and other foundry operations can release hazardous fumes, gases, and particulate matter.

Scrap or feedstock may contain coatings, paints, oils, or metals such as lead, chromium, nickel, cadmium, or other hazardous constituents.

Controls may include:

• Local exhaust ventilation at furnaces and other emission sources.
• Process enclosure or isolation.
• General ventilation.
• Cleaning or preparing feedstock before melting when appropriate.
• Exposure monitoring.
• Appropriate respiratory protection when required.

Never assume a metal is safe to melt merely because its composition or coating is unknown.

Respirable Crystalline Silica

Foundry sand and other silica-containing materials can generate respirable crystalline silica during molding, shakeout, sand handling, cleaning, abrasive blasting, grinding, and casting-finishing operations.

Exposure to respirable crystalline silica can cause silicosis, lung cancer, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and kidney disease.

Control silica exposures through methods such as:

• Local exhaust ventilation.
• Process enclosure or isolation.
• Wet methods when appropriate for the process.
• Dust-collection systems.
• Enclosed or automated material-handling operations.
• HEPA-filtered vacuum cleaning where appropriate.
• Restricted access to high-exposure operations.
• Respiratory protection when required.

Avoid dry sweeping or using compressed air for cleaning where these practices could increase employee exposure and safer cleaning methods are feasible.

Machinery and Equipment

Foundries may use conveyors, crushers, grinders, sand mixers, shakeout equipment, molding machines, presses, and other machinery capable of causing caught-in, crushing, amputation, and struck-by injuries.

Employees must:

• Never remove or bypass machine guards.
• Keep hands and clothing away from moving machinery.
• Stay clear of pinch points and caught-between areas.
• Never reach into operating machinery to clear jams.
• Shut down and properly control hazardous energy before servicing, cleaning, adjusting, or clearing equipment when lockout/tagout requirements apply.
• Report damaged guards, controls, emergency stops, or equipment immediately.

Grinding, Chipping and Casting Cleaning

Cleaning and finishing castings can generate flying particles, sparks, noise, vibration, and airborne contaminants.

• Use required machine guards.
• Wear appropriate eye and face protection.
• Inspect grinding wheels and equipment before use.
• Use local exhaust or dust collection where provided.
• Maintain safe positioning so sparks and debris are directed away from employees.
• Wear hearing protection when required.
• Control silica and metal dust exposures.

Noise

Foundry operations can generate hazardous noise from shakeout equipment, grinders, pneumatic tools, conveyors, material handling, and other processes.

Where exposures reach applicable limits, employees must participate in the company’s Hearing Conservation Program, including noise monitoring, hearing protection, training, and audiometric testing as required.

Housekeeping

Good housekeeping is particularly important around molten-metal operations.

• Keep floors, aisles, and exits clear.
• Promptly address sand, scrap, and other materials that create slip or trip hazards.
• Keep combustible materials away from hot-work areas.
• Maintain designated storage areas for tools and materials.
• Keep emergency equipment and exits unobstructed.
• Follow established procedures for handling hot slag, dross, and waste.

Remember

Foundry work combines extreme temperatures, molten materials, hazardous airborne contaminants, heavy equipment, machinery, and high noise levels. A single shortcut can result in severe burns, respiratory disease, crushing injuries, or other serious consequences.

Wear the required PPE, keep moisture away from molten metal, control silica and metal fumes, respect machine guarding and lockout/tagout requirements, and never perform a foundry operation unless you have been trained to do it safely.