Safety in the foundry. Probably one of the most important considerations for every company, whether they are producing -lb. castings or 3,000-lb. castings, whether there are 10 employees or 1,500 employees. Everyone needs to feel safe and understand how to keep their work environment at a peak safety level.

The FEF college or university foundry is no different. The students need to feel and be safe and, maybe even more importantly, learn how important safety is as they make their way into the metalcasting workforce.

FEF’s certified school, Virginia Tech, has two foundries. One is located in and managed by the Industrial Systems and Engineering Department and the other––the Kroehling Advanced Materials Foundry––is located in a standalone building and is managed by the Materials Science and Engineering (MSE) Department. FEF Key Professor Alan Druschitz, is the director of the Virginia Tech Foundry Institute for Research and Education (VT-FIRE). He also manages the Kroehling Advanced Materials Foundry and is responsible for maintaining the foundry safety management system.

In 2010, when Virginia Tech committed to building the Kroehling Advanced Materials Foundry, the VT Environmental Health and Safety Department was tasked with developing a comprehensive safety management system for the new foundry. Among other responsibilities, the Environmental Health and Safety Department helps departments comply with government regulations and mandates. The safety system that was put in place for the foundry was so successful that it was eventually rolled out to the entire Virginia Tech University.  

Not only do faculty and staff have access to the safety management system (MSE) students are trained on how to access the system and how to analyze what they are seeing. Students are required to take a one-credit-hour online class called Foundry Safety. This class is a co-requisite for all the other classes that take place in the Kroehling Advanced Materials Foundry at Virginia Tech. There are 14 training classes required for working in the foundry at VT, and a minimum grade of 80% is required to pass each safety training class. Some of the modules cover PPE, lock-out/tag-out, hand- and power-tool safety, machine shop safety, confined space awareness, and silica awareness.

When the safety management system is accessed, each lab/workspace has a summary page that contains important information about the lab/workspace and has tabs for various functions.
From the Kroehling Advanced Materials Foundry summary page, you can choose a tab and see whatever information you are interested in, such as the lab/workspace “Users.”  
One of the other tabs is the “Required Training” tab. This is used to track user training; green and red dots allow the principal investigators, managers, or auditors to quickly determine who has completed all the required training.

And if it’s a student’s (other user’s) first time using the safety management system, there is a user’s guide available. Additionally, there is a “Document” tab that contains energy control procedures, equipment manuals, hazard assessments, hazard communication documents, inspection reports, safety data sheets, training documentation, and standard operating procedures. 

For the Kroehling Advanced Materials Foundry, there are 92 safety data sheets, five standard operating procedures, six hazard assessments, and 10 energy control plans available.

According to Ashley Lacy, a VT materials science and engineering major (with a minor in green engineering), who has benefited from this safety system, “protocols are easy to understand, and information is communicated faster, making people more likely to follow along, ensuring compliance. “Since the management system is online, we can get a head start on the safety training so by the time we go into the lab, we have all been trained and have more hands-on lab time.” And when it comes to students developing a good sense of environmental stewardship, she added, “Change is important for the future well-being of our planet Earth, and in my eyes, the first step to make that happen is awareness.”

As you can see, the Virginia Tech Safety Management System is a comprehensive online system for providing faculty, staff, and students with needed safety information in an easy-to-access format that is available 24/7. Knowledge gained at the college level will prove to be necessary and profitable as it is carried over to the industry level. Virginia Tech students are now ahead of the curve.