The administration indicated that metalcasting facilities reported 11.8 injuries or illnesses for every 100 full-time employees. The number is only slightly down from 2006 (11.9) but has decreased 12.6% from 13.5 in 2005. The incidents also have remained below 2003 numbers, when only 13.1 incidents were recorded per 100 workers, the year before the 2004 spike to 14.

The OSHA statistics indicated that metalcasting facilities experienced higher rates of illness and injuries than other manufacturing plants as a whole, which reduced their numbers from 6 incidents per 100 full-time employees in 2006 to 5.6 in 2007. The metalcasting industry is also behind other primary metal manufacturers (8.1 incidents per 100 full-time employees). Both manufacturers as a whole and primary metal manufacturers experienced a greater rate of decrease from 2006 to 2007 than did metalcasters alone.

Non-investment steel metalcasters recorded the highest number of injury and illness in 2007 at 13.8. The plants were the safest among metalcasters in 2005. Nonferrous diecasters (excluding aluminum) managed the lowest number of incidents in 2007 at 6.1. The safest group in 2006, nonferrous non-diecasters (excluding aluminum) experienced the greatest rate of increase, jumping 83% from 6.4 to 11.7 incidents. Non-diecasting aluminum facilities recorded the greatest rate of improvement, lowering their 12.1 incidents by 26% to 9.

For more information, contact Fred Kohloff, AFS director of environmental, health and safety, at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it or 800/537-4237 x 230.