Casting and forging processes like sand blasting and shot blasting can expose workers to various health hazards. To address this, occupational health practices for these industries should include engineering controls to reduce hazards, proper training, use of personal protective equipment, medical surveillance, and environmental management systems. The goal is to implement preventive measures through an integrated approach and continually improve conditions over time to better protect worker health.

1. Occupational Health Practices in
casting & forging,
including
cleaning / smoothening / roughening
by
sand & shot blasting
Dr. Vaibhav Chakurkar
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2. Casting since about 4000 BC…
Ancient Greece; bronze
statue casting circa 450BC
Iron works in early Europe,
e.g. cast iron cannons from
England circa 1543
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3. [THE FIRST SCHEDULE]
[See section 2(cb)]
LIST OF INDUSTRIES INVOLVING, HAZARDOUS PROCESSES
1. Ferrous Metallurgical Industries
Integrated Iron and Steel
Ferrow-alloys
Special Steels
2. Non-ferrous Metallurgical Industries
Primary Metallurgical Industries, namely, zinc, lead. copper,
manganese,and aluminium
3. Foundries (ferrous and non-ferrous)
Castings and forgings including
cleaning or smoothening /roughening
by sand and shot blasting
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4. Dangerous Operations
Schedule XXVI
• Operations in Foundry
 The melting and casting of ferrous
and non-ferrous metals in moulds
made of sand, loam, metal,
moulding , or
by die, casting (including pressure
die-casting) centrifugal casting or
continuous casting and any process
incidental to such production
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5. Casting
Casting is a
manufacturing process
by which a liquid
material is usually
poured into a mold,
which contains a hollow
cavity of the desired
shape, and then
allowed to solidify.
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6. Casting Methods
• Sand Casting
• Investment Casting
• Die Casting
High Temperature Alloy,
Complex Geometry, Rough
Surface Finish
High Temperature Alloy, Complex
Geometry, Moderately Smooth
Surface Finish
High Temperature Alloy,
Moderate Geometry,
Smooth Surface
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7. Casting products
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8. Forging
is a process in which a metal is heated and placed in
a die and a compressive force is applied
Ironsmith's old practice
New technologies
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9. Stages in Open-Die Forging
(a) forge hot billet to max diameter
(b) “fuller: tool to mark step-locations
(c) forge right side
(d) reverse part, forge left side
(e) finish (dimension control)
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10. Stages in Closed-Die Forging
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11. Gears
Forged products
Crank Shaft
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12. What is blasting ?
Dangerous Operations
Schedule VIII
• "Blasting"
 means cleaning,
smoothing, roughening,
or removing of any part
of the surface of any
article by the use as an
abrasive of a jet of sand,
metal shot, or grit or
other material, propelled
by a blast of compressed
air or steam
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13. Sand blasting
Shot blasting
takes compressed air as its
power and shots the high
speed abrasive sand stream to
the surface of work piece.
takes the centrifugal force of
the high speed rotating disk to
shot the steel shots to the
work piece surface.
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14. Used--for cleaning, smoothening and roughening of metal casts and
forged parts
Before and After
Before and After
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15. Potential Health Hazards in workers at
foundries and forging (including blasting) industries
Hazardous factor
Effects
- High ambient temp. surrounding the
furnaces;
- Contact with hot metal including indirect
contact of Infra red radiation from hot
metals ;
Fatigue, Heat stress, Heat strain,
Uncomfortness, Dehydration ,
Heat exhaustion ,
Reduced physical activity,
Heat cataract
-Noise including ‘impulse noise’
Hearing impairment ,
Difficulty in communication ,
Mental stress ,
Nervous fatigue,
-Eye injuries
glare caused by furnace;
metal fumes and radiation ;
Flying objects
Eye irritation
Foreign body penetration
Injury to retina and damage to the lens
leading to cataract
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16. Potential Health Hazards in workers at
foundries and forging (including blasting) industries
Hazardous factor
Effect
-Inhalable agents (SPM ,RSPM, gases,
vapors, dusts and fumes) as a result of
Sand & shot blasting, moulding and
knockouts, cupola etc
* these acts as potential threat to health
of population of surrounding areas
-decreased lung functioning with
impaired Lung Function Tests,
-Silicosis,
-Siderosis,
-Vibrationwhole body &
Hand transmitted
d/t machinery
-Raynaud’s phenomenon in those
exposed to vibration;
- can affect the perception of displays;
- can affect the manipulation of controls
Chemical Hazards
d/t metal fumes, solvents, vapors
- Acute & chronic metal poisoning
- Skin damage , allergies
Fuel, electricity used in furnaces
-Fire and Explosions,
-CO emissions
-Electric shock and burns
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17. Potential Health Hazards in workers at
foundries and forging (including blasting) industries
Hazardous factor
Effect
-Manual carrying and lifting of large,
bulky and/or heavy objects ;
- Repetitive work ;
- Failures due to automation
- Rules of ergonomics not followed
-Fatigue
-Slips, trips and falls
-Musculoskeletal injuries
- injuries to back, Upper and lower limbs
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18. Hazards
Following practices are likely to contribute further if not
followed correctly
-
-
Lack of Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) training & Safety Audits
Inadequate engineering controls (such as ventilation, insulation) and work
practices ;
Rules of ergonomics not followed ;
Inadequate use of PPEs ;
Lack of medical facilities to provide emergency first-aid and
rescue facilities;
Failure to conduct adequate medical surveillance programs
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19. Environmental Issues
- Carbon dioxide emissions, leading cause of
air pollution and global warming ;
- Toxic wastes from metals and metal oxides;
- Wastes produced from procedures like sand preparation,
moulding and knockout , cupola, etc…
- Water pollution,
- Noise pollution,
- Exploitation of natural resources
e.g. coal, sand, minerals & mineral oils
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20. Control Measures
• Active monitoring:
-
The ongoing activities should be directed to check
the hazard identification,
risk assessment,
Safety Audits
the appropriate preventive and protective measures,
as well as
the arrangements to implement the occupational safety and health (OSH)
management system
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21. Engineering Methods
* Aimed to reduce hazards
Environmental Technologies It includes making use of sophisticated technologies and processes to
improve performance and efficiency of metal casting facilities through
proper waste management, reduce foundry emissions, reuse of waste
materials and environmental compliance.
It includes use of latest technology for Waste Characterization
Modeling
Waste Utilization
Waste Reduction Process
Waste Reduction materials
- Processes to reduce the amount of waste.
- Substitution of less hazardous materials
- Substitution of less toxic blasting materials
- Automation of processes
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22. Engineering Methods
*Aimed to minimize exposure.
• Use of technical measures such as
(a) Enclosing the work area ;
(b) Insulation of furnaces –
(c) protective guarding of machinery ;
(d) sound absorber covers ;
(d) maintaining ventilation and
air filtering equipment in operation
to remove inhalable agents from the air;
(e) maintaining a jet or stream of water
or other liquid on the work surface ;
(f) use of electrostatic precipitator/scrubbers
(g) a method approved by a safety officer.
(h) Regular cleaning activities
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23. Engineering Methods
*Aimed to minimize exposure.
• Use of technical measures such as
(i) Proper disposal of wastes
(j) Practice good personal hygiene
--- washable or disposable protective clothes at the worksite
--- have shower & change into clean clothes before leaving the worksite
(k) PPEs after use should be disposed of or shall remove all traces of
silica dust and shall store the equipment in an airtight container.
(l) safety regulations should be enforced to protect workers.
(m) proper policy for disaster mitigation, preparedness and management
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24. Engineering Methods
*Aimed to minimize exposure
-
Post signs to warn workers about
the hazard and to inform them
about required protective equipment.
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25. Proper training
-Information about health effects
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26. Proper training
• Application of Ergonomic practices at work
Before
After
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27. Proper training
• Personal Protective Equipments (PPEs)
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28. Environmental Management System (EMS)
• EMS can be defined as a set of processes, which enable a
foundry to cut down its environmental impacts and
improve its operational efficiency.
• Organizations adopt EMS to take proactive steps to ensure
environmental compliance while cutting costs, ensuring the
participation of management in environmental decisionmaking, and improving internal and external
communications.
• EMS is designed on planning, doing, checking and acting
model and results in continual improvement (KAIZEN)
Some of the advantages of EMS are - Reduces operating costs
- Enhances environmental performance and efficiency
- Improves internal and external communication
- Improves environmental decision-making
- Enhances the image of organization
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29. Medical Methods
• Pre-placement & periodical medical examination by
Certifying Surgeon that includes
(a) A complete physical examination with special attention to
the respiratory system;
(b) Lung function tests including forced vital capacity
and forced expiratory volume at one second;
(c) Screening tests e.g. X-Ray, Audiometry;
(d) Reporting of all cases
* First aid
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30. Occupational Health Services
• Detecting, Evaluating, and
Treating Medical Conditions
• Emergency Response
with proper policy for disaster
mitigation, preparedness and
management
• Medical Surveillance
• Chronic Disease Management
• Fitness and Wellness
• Work-Life Management
• Disability Management and
Accommodation
• Employee Assistance and
Advocacy
• Absence Management
• Training
• Consultant to Workers,
Managers, Unions, and the
Community
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31. And
finally
with the integrated efforts with
all available measures
we must PLAN for
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32. Future i.e. Backcasting
is a process of starting from a vision of success,
then looking back to today ...
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