The agency says the company repeatedly exposed workers to chemical hazards and proposes $311K in penalties.

Federal workplace safety inspectors determined that TAV Holdings Inc., an Atlanta company that provides , exposed workers to hazardous chemicals without warning them of the risks. This is the third time since 2019 that the U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) cited the company for similar violations.  

The inspection of TAV Holdings Inc. by OSHA in 2021 resulted in the issuance of citations for exposures to lead and cadmium. They were also cited for a failure to provide employees with safety data sheets, training and a chemical list for materials. This includes mineral spirits, hydrochloric acid, Vytaflex, Cal Floc 1516, oxygen, propane and diesel fuel.

Earlier in 2021, the agency issued citations for similar violations at the company’s Greenville, South Carolina, site and in 2019 at the Atlanta facility.  

OSHA proposed $311,934 in penalties after identifying three repeat offenses and 28 other safety and health violations in a recent investigation. OSHA says TAV Holdings failed to:  

install a fall protection system around unprotected sides of a pit;  

keep exit routes unobstructed and post signs along obscured exits to show the correct routes;  

specify techniques to isolate energy sources on machines within the energy control procedures;  

train employees on hazardous energy sources for equipment;  

provide guarding on rotating parts and ingoing nip and pinch points on a drill press and conveyer;  

mark electrical panel circuits to indicate their purpose and enclose an electrical control panel;  

provide audiometric testing or annual training on hazards associated with high noise levels and provide hearing protection to some employees; and  

conduct annual training on the use of respirators and fit tests for employees.  

"TAV Holdings Inc.'s repeated disregard for workers' safety is inexcusable, especially after our previous investigations identified the serious risks involved," says OSHA Area Office Director Jeffery Stawowy in Atlanta-West. "They have a legal obligation to provide their employees with a safe and healthy workplace."  

During the Atlanta on-site visit, OSHA inspectors found that Atlanta's XL MachineWorks LLC, a metal fabrication contractor employed at TAV Holdings, failed to train its employees on how to safely operate forklifts and properly anchor a bench grinder. The contractor also failed to guard a lathe machine and improperly used extension cords to power equipment. For these violations, the agency proposed $11,188 in penalties to XL MachineWorks.  

The current investigation was initiated after receiving a referral from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. OSHA says the companies have 15 business days from receipt of their citations and penalties to comply, request an informal conference with OSHA or contest the findings before the independent Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission.  

Recycling Today has reached out to TAV Holdings and the U.S. Department of Labor for further comment. 

The funding is available through Susan Harwood Training grants.

The U.S. Department of Labor has announced $11.7 million in Susan Harwood Training Grants to support training and education for workers and employers. The goal is to help identify and prevent workplace safety and health hazards.  

Administered by the department's Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), the grants will target disadvantaged, underserved, low-income and other hard-to-reach, at-risk workers and employers. The grants are available to nonprofit organizations, including community-based, faith-based, grassroots organizations, employer associations, labor unions, joint labor/management associations, Indian tribes and public colleges and universities.  

Applicants may apply in the following categories:  

Targeted Topic Training: support educational programs that identify and prevent workplace hazards and require applicants to conduct training on OSHA-designated workplace safety and health hazards;  

Training and Educational Materials Development: support the development of quality classroom-ready training and educational materials that identify and prevent workplace hazards; and,  

Capacity Building: allow organizations to develop a new training program to assess needs and formulate a plan for moving forward to a full-scale safety and health education program, expanding their capacity to provide occupational safety and health training, education and related assistance to workers and employers.  

Those interested should submit applications by August 1. Applicants must register at www.grants.gov and the System of Award Management to apply.  

The department says the grants honor the legacy and work of Dr. Susan Harwood who developed workplace safety guidelines for benzene, formaldehyde, bloodborne pathogens and lead in the construction industry. Harwood was also the primary author of OSHA's cotton dust standard, which virtually eliminated byssinosis, a lung disease that causes asthma-like symptoms among textile workers. 

The partnership will focus on further development of Pyrum’s pyrolysis plants.

Pyrum Innovations AG, a Dillingen, Germany-based company specializing in sustainable recycling of end-of-life tires (ELT) based on its patented pyrolysis technology, has entered a partnership with German technology group Siemens. Pyrum says the aim of the partnership is to further promote, optimize and scale its pyrolysis plants technologically and economically with Siemen’s digitalization and automation portfolio.

Siemens will support Pyrum and Pyrum’s customers in the selection of optimal technology in the areas of process automation, process analytics, drive technology and digitalization, among other things. In addition, Siemens will help with the optimization of process procedures as well as with training and further education by jointly organizing workshops and training sessions. The plan is to start implementing the various measures immediately, Pyrum says.

Pyrum's pyrolysis plant in Germany has been operating since May 2020, according to its website. The company has a two pillar business model that includes recurring revenues from plant ownership and revenues from sale of plants to other operations.

After BASF and Continental, the partnership with Siemens is Pyrum’s third agreement with a well-known German industrial company. Pyrum also has cooperated with numerous internationally operating companies, such as Michelin, Pirelli, Schwalbe and Eldan.

“We are constantly trying to develop our pyrolysis plants and increase both productivity and user-friendliness in order to continue to provide the best offer on the market,” says Pascal Klein, CEO of Pyrum Innovations AG. “We are convinced that our partnership with Siemens will make our pyrolysis plants even more attractive to existing and potential customers. In doing so, we are driven by the long-term goal of achieving a circular economy in ELT recycling as soon as possible.”

An expert discusses how electromagnets should be maintained and when it's time to replace them.

Demand for magnetic scrap handling attachments has increased by 30 percent since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic for some equipment dealers such as Nasco-Op based in New Philadelphia, Ohio.

Despite the increase in demand, Mike Morrison, assistant manager of Nasco-Op, says the attachments are hard to come by because of a shortage of parts needed to make them. This delay means magnets are taking three to five months to assemble and ship. As a result, it has become increasingly important to maintain existing equipment and to know when it’s time to replace an attachment.

“How long your magnet lasts is based on the preventative maintenance, how you take care of your magnet [and] having an experienced operator running your material handler,” Morrison says. “When it comes  down to the magnet, it could last two years or it could last 20 years, all depending on how well it's maintained and how well your operator uses it.”

Three parts on a magnet wear down most quickly:

Morrison says some operators use the magnet face to pick up material and distribute it into trucks. The jagged edges of the material will chip away at the face slowly, weakening how effective the magnet will be in the long run.

“As with any electrical piece of equipment, there are going to be components that wear out, especially if there's an issue in your magnet control system somewhere,” Morrison says. “You’ll need to maintain your magnet, the magnet controller, the generator and all the cables that connect everything in between. If everything isn’t working in sync, you can burn up components of the control system pretty quickly.”

Morrison suggests operators check these three parts monthly to avoid lasting damage to the attachment. Operators should look for cracks, broken links in the chain and excessive wear. Operators also should keep chains clean and free of grease, and operators should not rest the material handler’s boom on the chain.

Other ways an operator can ensure the effectiveness of a magnetic attachment include storing it in a dry place that’s not too hot or too cold, depending on the business' location. Operators also should avoid using it for anything other than picking materials up, such as flattening material or sweeping it across the ground to pick up small metal scrap.

While maintaining a magnetic attachment is important, there comes a time when it makes more sense to replace the attachment. Repairing a magnet could cost 60 percent to 75 percent of the cost to buy a new magnet entirely.

“You're shipping something that's very heavy back to a manufacturer. They have to do double the labor now because they have to a inspect the magnet, tear it down and see what's wrong with it. They have to go through the coil, they have to go through all the components, see what's working what's not,” Morrison says. “Then they have to also put it back together. So really, you're doubling the labor that you would have for a new build because labor is the most expensive part of the repair.”

Morrison says, typically, a repaired magnet is going to be rebuilt using recycled parts. This means it might not last as long as a magnet using new parts.

The primary sign it’s time to replace a magnet that operators should look for is the wear depth of the pole. If the magnet’s bottom plate is flat with the outer pole, the magnet is at end of its life. If the magnet is used past this point, an operator might see warping and welding breaks that eventually will lead to the magnet failing or the bottom plate possibly falling out of the attachment.

Other signs the magnet should be replaced is if the operator is experiencing electrical issues while using the attachment. If an operator sees spikes or power shorts in the system, it could mean the system needs to be inspected.

If a magnet continues to be used after it should be replaced, the operator will experience ongoing issues during use.

“You're going to have issues with your magnet controller, you're going to have issues with your generator, you're going to have issues with the other components of a magnet system that don't necessarily tie right into the magnet itself,” Morrison says. “When that magnet is beat up and broken down, you're going to have electrical issues one way or another. Whether it be a moisture issue, short in the coil or your magnet control system.”

Steel output rises in May in China, but reports indicate inventories are building up there.

Steelmakers in China produced some 4 million tons more steel this May compared with April, but a recent media report indicates much of that steel is staying in inventory.

Figures provided by China’s CISA steelmaking association to the Brussels-based World Steel Association (Worldsteel) show May steel output in the People’s Republic of China of 96.6 million metric tons. That represents a 4 percent increase from the 92.8 million metric tons of output in April.

Just one day after Worldsteel released its figures, however, an online article from CNBC reported that “steel inventories are slowly piling up in the warehouses of the country’s biggest steelmaking hub, the northeastern city of Tangshan, as well as in the provinces of Jiangsu and Shandong.” CNBC cited consultancy Wood McKenzie, which had spoken with steel mill owners, as its source.

The consultant, Simon Wu, was quoted by the news network as saying, “There’s negative energy all around. The steel industry is just not making any profit.”

Problems affecting the Chinese economy include COVID-19-related restrictions and flooding in South China. Perhaps most importantly for the steel sector, however, is an ongoing double-digit monthly drop in apartment sales. Steel used to build apartment towers, retail centers and infrastructure projects have been the drivers of China’s emergence as the world’s largest steel producer.

Year to date, however, China has produced 8.7 percent less steel than it did in the first five months of 2021, according to Worldsteel.

The property market cool down in China has created a scenario where the central bank there is taking action to lower mortgage interest rates. That is in contrast to most of the rest of the world, where central banks are increasing rates in an attempt to tame inflation.

While the CNBC report indicates China’s steelmakers are gloomy about profits, steel producers in the United States and Canada have been announcing record earnings and positive forecasts.

However, because for the past decade or more China has produced and consumed up to half of the world’s steel, the situation in China is likely contributing to falling steel (and ferrous scrap) prices in many parts of the world.

Of greater pertinence to the U.S. scrap market, steel output in Turkey dropped month-on-month, falling from 3.4 million metric tons of output this April to 3.2 million tons this May, according to Worldsteel.

Providing better news to scrap exporters, India’s output rose to 10.6 million metric tons this May, up nearly 5 percent from the 10.1 million tons produced in April.