U.S. Department of Labor Cites Metal Forging Company, Proposes $225,046 in Penalties
LAKEWOOD, CO –
The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has cited Vforge Inc. – based in Lakewood, Colorado – for machine safety hazards after an employee suffered fatal injuries while working on a forging machine. The company faces proposed penalties of $225,046.
OSHA cited Vforge Inc. for two willful and two serious safety violations for failing to develop lockout/tagout procedures, provide adequate machine guarding, and train employees in a language they understand. OSHA has placed Vforge Inc. in the Severe Violator Enforcement Program.
“Employers are legally required to implement appropriate procedures and provide training to protect their employees’ safety,” said OSHA Englewood Area Office Director David Nelson. “This tragedy could have been prevented if safety measures were in place to prevent machinery from starting while being serviced.”
Vforge Inc. has 15 business days from receipt of the citations and penalties to comply, request an informal conference with OSHA’s area director, or contest the findings before the independent Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission.
Under the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970, employers are responsible for providing safe and healthful workplaces for their employees. OSHA’s role is to help ensure these conditions for America’s working men and women by setting and enforcing standards, and providing training, education and assistance. For more information, visit http://www.osha.gov.
Headquartered in Lakewood, Colorado, a suburb of Denver, Vforge Inc. is a technology-based manufacturing company providing high precision, high performance light alloy components to the recreational goods, industrial, medical, defense and specialty automotive markets.
Embodied in its principals, Vforge SSM technology is a revolution and not simply an evolution in shape metal forming. As a hybrid process between high-pressure die casting (liquid feedstock) and conventional closed-die forging (solid feedstock), semi-solid aluminum alloy with a viscosity comparable to soft-serve ice cream is injected under high pressure into hardened steel dies. Similar to the low velocity injection of plastic molding only with aluminum, Vforge SSM produces components with near-net shape definition, precision tolerance control and structural integrity right from the forming press.
The underlying quality and internal soundness of vforged components enables clients to pursue various secondary operations to enhance mechanical performance, cosmetic finish and/or pressurized assembly, and further establishes Vforge SSM as a premium metal forming technology.