Katelyn Walker Mooney Acting Assistant Secretary for Policy | Official Website
Federal inspectors have identified numerous violations at a Syracuse iron foundry, Frazer & Jones LLC, leading to nearly $1 million in proposed penalties. The U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) cited the company for more than two dozen willful, repeat, serious, and other violations.
The citations issued in October 2024 include risks related to fire and explosion, thermal and chemical burns, falls, and other hazards. This follows previous issues in 2023 when OSHA cited Frazer & Jones for two serious violations. In 2021, the company had agreed to correct 60 violations from a 2019 inspection as part of a settlement with the department.
"Frazer & Jones’ troubling history of exposing its employees to serious hazards must end," said OSHA Area Director Jeffrey Prebish in Syracuse, New York. "Despite their agreement to correct violations, they once again failed to implement proper safeguards. OSHA will continue to perform its mission and hold employers accountable when they fail to meet their legal obligations to protect the safety and health of their workers."
The current citations include four willful violations, 13 repeat violations, seven serious violations, and three other-than-serious violations. The proposed fines total $990,186. Specific hazards identified by inspectors include:
- Fire and explosion risks from uncapped natural gas vent lines during industrial furnace maintenance.
- Struck-by injuries due to deficiencies while operating cranes, hoists, and lifting devices.
- Fall risks from unprotected walking and working surfaces.
- Asphyxiation dangers for workers entering kilns without proper permits.
- Caught-in dangers from failing to lock-out energy sources before machine maintenance.
- Thermal burns from lighting burners with a natural gas torch.
- Chemical burns from using hazardous chemicals without labels or accessible emergency eyewash stations.
- Overexposure to respirable crystalline silica without adequate controls or protection.
Frazer & Jones LLC employs about 150 people who cast components for various industries across the United States. The company has contested its citations and penalties with the independent Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission.
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