A Bedford company failed to protect workers in an explosion that killed one and injured fifteen last February, according to a U.S. Department of Labor investigation.
The explosion took place at a foundry in Oakwood Village, a suburb about three miles southeast of Bedford, operated by I. Schumann & Co., a company that recycles material into metal alloys, ingots and pellets, according to the DOL.
Federal Occupation Safety and Health Administration inspectors concluded the company failed to ensure that procedures designed to protect employees while they checked machinery were followed during a furnace inspection, according to a DOL media release. This is one of six violations for which the DOL cited the company.
“This terrible tragedy could have been avoided if the employer followed well-known machine safety standards that are meant to prevent this type of explosion,” OSHA Area Director Howard Eberts said in a media release.
Employees were inspecting a water leak in a furnace when it exploded, OSHA inspectors found. Water leaked onto molten metal inside the furnace which caused the steam explosion.
In a statement, I. Schumann & Co. said it has been cooperating with the OSHA investigation but does not agree with all of the DOL’s conclusions.
“Proposed fines for four of the violations are contemplated. We dispute the citations and any suggestion that we were not following safety guidelines,” the company wrote.
On February 20, an explosion destroyed the interior of the foundry. The damage, according to a first responder on the scene, was "pretty catastrophic."
Steve Mullins, a 46-year-old North Ridgeville resident, was killed in the blast, according to Cuyahoga County Medical Examiner's Office records.
I. Schumann & Co. was cited for six violations OSHA classifies as "serious" with $62,500 in proposed penalties, according to the media release. The foundry has been closed since the explosion.