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American Foundry Society (AFS)
(signed March 22, 2004; renewed April 28, 2006; renewed April 11, 2008)
Through the Alliance, OSHA and AFS will encourage AFS members and others,
including small businesses, in the metalcasting industry to increase employee access to safety and
health information and training resources on workplace issues. In particular, the Alliance will
address personal protective equipment (PPE), heat stress and reducing and preventing exposure to
silica. The Alliance's goals include:
Training and education:
- Work with OSHA to provide expertise to develop workplace safety and health curricula on
the foundry workplace issues including, PPE, heat stress and silica.
Outreach and communication:
- Work with OSHA to provide expertise in developing information on the recognition and prevention
of workplace hazards, and to provide expertise in developing ways of communicating such information
(e.g. print and electronic media, electronic assistance tools and OSHA's and AFS's Web sites) to
employers and employees in the industry.
- Share information among OSHA personnel, including Compliance Safety and Health Officers, and
industry safety and health professionals regarding AFS's best practices or effective approaches and
publicize results through outreach by AFS and through OSHA- or AFS-developed materials, training
programs, workshops, seminars, and lectures (or any other applicable forum).
- Work with other Alliance participants on specific issues and projects regarding PPE, ventilation
and silica issues that are addressed and developed through the Alliance Program.
- Encourage AFS chapters' or worksites' to build relationships with OSHA's Regional and Area
Offices to address health and safety issues, including PPE, heat stress and silica.
Promoting the national dialogue on workplace safety and health:
- Develop and disseminate case studies illustrating the business value of safety and health and
publicize their results.
Milestones and Successes
Related Documents
Alliance Agreements
Alliance Annual Reports
Alliance News Releases
Activities and Events (Archive)
Best Practices Seminars
- OSHA and AFS Alliance "AFS Foundry Best Practices Seminars." Through the OSHA and AFS Alliance, AFS representatives conduct training seminars for OSHA, State Plan, and On-site Consultation staff. AFS representatives provide information on the safety and health hazards that might exist in a foundry and control measures that could be used to address these hazards. [More…]
Additional Activities and Events
- May 6-12, 2012: 2012 North American Occupational Safety and Health (NAOSH) Week. The American Foundry Society and a number of other Alliance Program participants support 2012 NAOSH Week. Sponsored annually by ASSE and the Canadian Society of Safety Engineering, the Week focuses on the importance of preventing injuries and illnesses in the workplace. 2012 Theme: "Safety, What Every Business Needs."
- April 17-19, 2012: 116th Metalcasting Congress, Columbus, Ohio.
- April 17-19, 2012: OSHA personnel from Region V at Alliance exhibit booth.
- May 2-8, 2010: 2010 North American Occupational Safety and Health (NAOSH) Week.
The American Foundry Society and a number of other Alliance Program
participants supported 2010 NAOSH Week, "Mission NAOSH 2010: Safe Workplaces."
Sponsored annually by the American Society of Safety Engineers, an Alliance
Program participant, and the Canadian Society of Safety Engineering, the Week
focuses on the importance of preventing injuries and illnesses in the
workplace.
- October 19-25, 2009:
2009 "Drug-Free Work Week."
AFS and a number of other Alliance Program participants supported the 2009
Drug-Free Work Week. Sponsored annually by the U.S. Department of Labor's "Working Partners for
an Alcohol and Drug-Free Workplace Program", the Week focuses on educating
employers, employees and the public about the importance of being drug-free as
an essential component of a safe and healthful workplace.
- August 16-19, 2009: 21st AFS Environmental Health and Safety Conference,
Indianapolis, Indiana.
- August 17, 2009: Ken Gilbert, Area Director, Indianapolis, Indiana Area
Office, USDOL-OSHA, staffed the Alliance Program exhibit booth.
- May 3-9, 2009:
2009 North American Occupational Safety and Health Week. The American
Foundry Society and more than 55 other Alliance Program participants supported
2009 NAOSH Week. Sponsored annually by the American Society of Safety
Engineers, an Alliance Program participant, and the Canadian Society of Safety
Engineering, the Week focuses on the importance of preventing injuries and
illnesses in the workplace. The theme for 2009 NAOSH Week was "Safety Means
Always Coming Home."
- April 7-10, 2009: 113th Metalcasting Congress, Las Vegas, Nevada.
- April 7-10, 2009: Representatives from OSHA Region IX and Nevada OSHA staffed an Alliance Program exhibit booth during the conference.
- August 24-27, 2008: 20th AFS Environmental Health and Safety Conference,
St. Louis, Missouri.
- August 24-27, 2008: Representatives from OSHA staffed an Alliance Program
exhibit booth during the conference.
- May 17-20, 2008: Cast Expo 2008, Atlanta, Georgia.
- May 17-20, 2008: Marilyn Velez, Compliance Assistance Specialist, Region IV, Atlanta-West,
Georgia Area Office, USDOL-OSHA; Anita Fountain, Compliance Safety and Health Officer, Region
IV, Atlanta-West, Georgia Area Office, USDOL-OSHA; and Patricia Morris, Compliance Safety and
Health Officer, Region IV, Atlanta-West, Georgia Area Office, USDOL-OSHA; staffed the Alliance
Program exhibit booth during the conference.
- May 4-10, 2008:
2008 North American Occupational Safety and Health (NAOSH) Week. The American Foundry Society
and a number of other Alliance Program participants supported 2008 NAOSH Week, "Safety is Good
Business." Sponsored annually by the American Society of Safety Engineers and the Canadian Society
of Safety Engineering, the Week focuses on the importance of preventing injuries and illnesses in
the workplace.
- April 9-11, 2008: AFS Government Affairs Conference, Washington, DC.
- April 11, 2008: Edwin G. Foulke, Jr., former-Assistant Secretary, USDOL-OSHA,
made a presentation during the conference's General Session and discussed
OSHA's outreach efforts. Following his speech, Mr. Foulke signed the OSHA and
AFS Alliance renewal agreement.
- April 11, 2008: Richard Fairfax, Director, Directorate of Enforcement
Programs, USDOL-OSHA; and Jim Maddux, then-Acting Director, Office of
Biological Hazards, Directorate of Standards and Guidance, USDOL-OSHA; made
presentations during a panel discussion "OSHA Enforcement and New PPE Rule."
- March 18, 2008: Safety in the Foundry XX Safety Seminar, Sheraton Music City Hotel, Nashville,
Tennessee. Sandy Bennett, Manager of Training, Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce
Development, presented "OSHA Recordkeeping" during the seminar.
- March 11, 2008: AFS Keystone Chapter Meeting, Allentown, Pennsylvania. John McFee, Regional
Safety and Occupational Health Specialist, Region III, USDOL-OSHA, gave a presentation on "OSHA
Update...New PPE Payment Rule, Silica, Citations Found in Foundries."
- October 8, 2007: AFS 19th Environmental, Health and Safety Conference, Sheraton Music City
Hotel, Nashville, Tennessee. Jan Cothron, Industrial Hygiene Manager, Tennessee Department of
Labor and Workforce Development, participated on a panel "AFS/OSHA Alliance Update . . . Top
Compliance Issues Found in Foundries" during the conference.
- October 8, 2007: Central Indiana Chapter Meeting, Indianapolis, Indiana. Scott Frosch, Senior
Industrial Hygienist, Indiana Department of Labor Occupational Safety and Health Administration,
made a presentation on safety and health issues that impact the foundry industry during the
meeting.
Products and Resources
Alliance Program Participant Developed Products
- Fact Sheet: Hearing Protection in Metalcasting Facilities [PDF* - 101 KB].
Through the OSHA and American Foundry Society (AFS) Alliance, AFS developed "Fact Sheet: Hearing Protection in Metalcasting Facilities.” This Fact Sheet provides metalcasting employers and workers with an overview of how to manage noise exposure in metalcasting facilities. (2010, April)
- Establishing a Foundry Heat Stress Management Program [PDF* - 427 KB]. Through the OSHA and American Foundry Society (AFS) Alliance, AFS
developed, "White Paper: Establishing a Foundry Heat Stress Management
Program." The White Paper is designed to provide foundry industry employers and
employees with information that can help control the potential hazards of heat
stress. (2008, December)
-
Control of Silica Exposure in Foundries [PDF*
- 3 MB]. Through the OSHA and American Foundry Society (AFS) Alliance, AFS
developed "Control of Silica Exposure in Foundries." The document is designed
to provide foundry industry employers and employees with information that can
help control the potential hazards of respirable crystalline silica. (2008,
April)
-
Guide for the Selection & Use of Personal Protective Equipment & Special
Clothing for Foundry Operations [PDF*
- 916 KB]. Through the OSHA and American Foundry Society (AFS) Alliance, AFS
developed "Guide for the Selection & Use of Personal Protective Equipment &
Special Clothing for Foundry Operations." The Guide describes special
considerations for the selection and use of personal protective equipment and
special clothing in the foundry industry. (2005, September)
OSHA Safety and Health Topics Pages
OSHA eTools
Case Studies
Success Stories
Publications and Newsletters
-
AFS eConnections, August 15, 2006. This edition of AFS's weekly e-newsletter
includes an article, "Phone Scams Threaten OSHA Fines" that describes an
alleged phone scam in which people claiming to be OSHA employees threaten
companies with fines unless they purchase materials that will supposedly put
them into compliance with OSHA requirements.
Additional Resources
+Alliance Implementation Team members participated in the development of this resource.
Areas of Emphasis
Accessibility Assistance: Contact the OSHA Directorate of Cooperative and State Programs at 202-693-2200 for assistance accessing PDF materials.
*These files are provided for downloading.
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