Health and Safety
AFS COVID-19 (Coronavirus) Resources
General
- List of Safety Data Sheets for Sale in 2019
- EPA Risk Assessment of Spent Foundry Sands In Soil-Related Applications
- List of OSHA Safety Topics and Regulatory Reference
- OSHA Required Training for Foundries (2 pages)
- Forklift Daily Checklists
- BLS Metalcasting Statistics 2014-2018
Heat Stress/Illness
This section provides information on heat stress and illness matters pertinent to the metalcasting industry. AFS is committed to providing the latest heat-related safety information available.
- Heat Stress Publications
- Heat Stress Program Template
- OSHA National Emphasis Program – Outdoor and Indoor Heat-Related Hazards
- NIOSH Publishes New Resource for Keeping Temporary Workers Safe
-
New ASTM Standard Will Help Manage Heat Stress And Heat Strain In Foundries
Silica
AFS is committed to the elimination of the adverse health effects associated with the inhalation of crystalline silica. The association holds annual Environmental, Health, & Safety Conferences, along with safety seminars and webinars throughout the year.
Respiratory Protection
- Written Respiratory Protection Program
- Selecting Respirators and Associated Equipment
- Recordkeeping
- OSHA Respiratory Protection 1910.134
- OSHA Appendix A- Fit Testing Procedures (Mandatory)
- OSHA Appendix B-1- User Seal Check Procedures (Mandatory)
- OSHA Appendix C- Respirator Medical Evaluation Questionnaire (Mandatory). Check with your clinic as they may provide their own format of these same questions.
- OSHA Appendix D- Information for Employees Using Respirators on a Voluntary Basis (Mandatory when respirators are not required under the standard or by the employer)
Environment
- Modern Casting Article: "Environmental Priorities of The Biden Administration Shape The Future Regulatory Landscape For The Industry", Jeff Hannapel writes about evolving issues such as climate change and environmental justice impacting the industry.
Air
This section provides information on air-related regulatory and technical matters pertinent to the metal casting industry. This information is developed and periodically updated by the AFS Air Quality Committee.
- What's New
- Foundry Air Emissions Benchmarking
- ERT and CEDRI: Required Air Emissions Reporting
- How to Use CEDRI to Create and Upload a Semiannual Compliance Report
- How to Use CEDRI to Upload an ERT Generated Zip File
Major and Area Source Foundry NESHAPs - How to Use ERT to enter a Semiannual Visible Emission Observation Major and Area Source Foundry NESHAPs
- EPA's Affordable Clean Energy (ACE) Rule
- Foundry RTR NESHAP
- AFS Comments on Affirmative Defense for Title V
- AFS Comments on Good Neighbor Rule
- AFS Comments on AERR Rule for SBREFA Panel July 2022
- Criteria Pollutants
- Air Toxics
- Casting Emission Reduction Program (CERP) Reports
- New Source Performance Standards
- Toxic Release Inventory
- Greenhouse Gas Regulation
- Other Resources
Water
This section provides information on water-related regulatory and technical matters pertinent to the metal casting industry. This information is developed and periodically updated by the AFS Water, Waste, & Byproducts Management Committee.
- Major Regulatory Topics
- Clean Water Jurisdiction Final Rule and Multi-Sector General Permit for Stormwater Discharges
- EPA’s Multi-Sector General Permit: Challenges & Opportunities to Influence Stormwater Permits
Waste & Byproducts
Metalcasting is the backbone of the manufacturing economy, a $44.3 billion industry providing nearly a half million direct and indirect jobs in the U.S. The foundry industry is one of the original recyclers, with a long history of recycling metals, sand, slag and many other materials and byproducts. The Foundry industry is active in all aspects of recycling, including collection of materials, sorting and screening for quality control, recycling in-house, as well as marketing quality byproducts. Metals and sand are reused in-house numerous times and then made available to a wide array of end uses. Foundries also purchase and recycle vast quantities of metals and alloys, helping to close the recycling loop.
- Recycling and Beneficial Use of Foundry Byproducts
- What's New
- Major Regulatory Topics
-
Toxic Substance Control Act (TSCA) Chemical Data Reporting (CDR) -- Includes a summary of the 2020 changes
Note that the rule has been revised and for 2020 the reporting due date has been extended from the usual Sept. 30th until Nov. 30th, 2020. -
Connection to the EPA website and instructions on how to report under CDR
Radioactive Screening of Scrap Metal
Updates coming soon in 2023.
Sustainability in Metalcasting
Environmental Justice
Events, Webinars, and Awards
- Committee Meetings
- Awards
- Seminars
- Webinars
- Environmental, Health & Safety Conference
- Metalcasting Congress & CastExpo