Six days after opening a complaint inspection at a Columbus, Ga.-based auto parts manufacturer in August 2023, federal safety investigators learned that a 41-year-old maintenance technician at the site endured severe injuries from an electrical transformer explosion and opened a second investigation.
U.S. Department of Labor Occupational Safety and Health Administration investigators found that the worker of Aludyne Columbus LLC – operating as Aludyne Columbus Foundry – was severely injured by an arc flash while attempting to replace a blown fuse on a transformer and was later transported to Piedmont Hospital.
Across both inspections, OSHA cited Aludyne Columbus for 22 serious and three other-than-serious violations. Specifically, the agency found the employer:
- Failed to require employees to don appropriately certified electrical suits while changing out electrical components in a high voltage energized area.
- Allowed workers to use non-insulated tools within approximately 12 in. of energized power lines in a high voltage energized area.
- Exposed workers to an airborne concentration of respirable silica of up to 15 times above the permissible time-weighted average.
- Failed to provide National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health-approved respirators to employees exposed to silicosis hazards.
- Did not provide fit testing to workers required to wear respirators while exposed to crystalline silica.
- Failed to provide protective equipment such as goggles and gloves to workers handling chemicals.
- Did not keep an emergency eye wash station free from debris and ready for immediate use.
OSHA has proposed $182,344 in penalties, an amount set by federal statute.
For more information, read the original release from the Department of Labor.
