AFS NEWS
AFS NEWS AFS Announces Co-Chairs for
Silica Task Force The American Foundry Society’s (AFS) Execu-
“ I’m very satisfi ed with
my long-term print advertis- ing program in MCDP—it’s the only advertising I do. It gives me great visibility and name recognition, both with existing customers and with new ones. And the steady fl ow of new business it brings in easily justifi es the investment.
”
Kevin Evers President St. Louis Precision Casting
tive Vice President, Jerry Call, announced Chris Norch, president, Denison Industries, and Tom Slavin, formerly of Navistar and chairman of the AFS Safety and Health Committee, as co-chairs for the associa- tion’s Silica Task Force. “We believe these two outstanding industry leaders with extensive experience working in the metalcasting industry on safety and health matters will play an instru- mental role in leading the task force,” Call said. T e announcement formalizes AFS’s silica work-
ing group which has been in place for fi ve years. T e task force will be directing the industry’s comments and discussions with the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) in response to the agency’s proposed comprehensive crystalline silica standard an- nounced on August 23. OSHA’s proposed rule would cut in half the current
permissible exposure limit (PEL) for respirable crystal- line silica and require a wide range of ancillary protec- tive measures, including engineering controls, air and medical monitoring, restricted work areas, housekeeping mandates, respirator use, training and recordkeeping. T e metalcasting industry is one of the general industry sectors most aff ected by the new silica regulation. Inde- pendent studies have estimated costs for metalcasting industry compliance with OSHA’s proposal will exceed $1 billion per year. “T is is a very serious issue for our industry that will
aff ect all sand casters throughout the United States. It is critical we have our voice heard on the matter,” said Matt Sullivan, president of Buck Co. Inc., a ferrous and non- ferrous casting facility in Pennsylvania. Earlier this year, Sullivan appeared, along with Slavin, before the Offi ce of Management and Budget to discuss the economic and technological impact of meeting lower PEL. “AFS has kept itself closely apprised of the status of
the proposed silica rule and its potential eff ects to the industry,” Norch said. “T is diligent work will continue as we develop our response to the recently announced rule.” OSHA has provided just 90 days to submit comments
on the rule, followed by public hearings in March 2014. A fi nal rule is not expected until 2016. In the meantime, AFS has launched a new Silica
Resource page on its website at
www.afsinc.org/silica to provide numerous resources including: • AFS guides to complying with OSHA’s current silica standard.
METALCASTINGDESIGN.COM 48 | MODERN CASTING October 2013
• Best practices. • OSHA enforcement initiatives. • Links to the new silica proposal and accompanying documents.
For more information contact: Alfred Spada, AFS Director of Marketing, PR and Communications at
aspada@afsinc.org or 847/824-0181.
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