As Modern Casting went to press, AFS had just completed the 37th annual Environment, Health & Safety (EHS) Conference. The three-day event was held in Wisconsin with 150 in attendance. Expert speakers offered presentations and led discussions on various aspects of foundry safety and health, as well as environmental compliance and stewardship. 

The timely information shared at the conference is a tremendous benefit, and the value goes beyond that. Attendees meet other EHS professionals who become valuable industry contacts. Additionally, many sign up to participate in one or more of the three AFS EHS committees: Safety & Health Committee; Air Quality Committee; and Water, Waste & Byproducts Management Committee. Any AFS member can join these committees by contacting Kim at kperna@afsinc.org.

Every December, Ted Schorn presents a webinar summarizing the newest workplace safety statistics released by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). Because of the importance of safety, AFS opens this webinar to not only AFS members but also members of other metalcasting societies, as well.

Twice each year, AFS presents EHS workshops on various topics. For 2026, the Advanced Air Workshop will be presented on March 31–April 1 and the Safety 101 Workshop will be held May 12–13, both at AFS headquarters in Schaumburg, Illinois, a convenient drive from O’Hare Airport. The instructors for the workshops are not only industry experts, but they are also longtime AFS volunteers giving freely of their time. 

AFS also presents a variety of awards each year to foundries of all sizes that achieve safety milestones. And safety and health have often been cited in the annual Hoyt Lectures every April. 

AFS has also hosted EHS discussions at the annual Metalcasting Congress and at other special events. For example, renowned safety expert Todd Conklin from Los Alamos National Labs was a guest speaker at the 2024 Foundry Leadership Summit. Additionally, foundry safety supplements have been published in Modern Casting magazine. 

While AFS’s expansive safety-related programming is well known and appreciated throughout the industry, many do not realize just how long the society has been providing safety programs. In 1907, the forerunner of AFS established the Committee on Prevention of Accidents in Foundries, which conducted a nationwide study and published the results. A Safety and Sanitation Code was first published in 1913. AFS first focused on foundry noise in the mid-1940s. 

Since the establishment of OSHA and EPA during the Nixon administration, AFS has played an indispensable role in advising lawmakers and regulators on how best to achieve safety and environmental goals based on sound science and cost-benefit analysis.

 AFS has employed EHS specialists all the way back to 1936. Today, George Curry is the technical director for EHS. and he is available to all Corporate Members. Additionally, AFS has published numerous safety-related publications through the years, including the newly revised Health & Safety Guides. We encourage every foundry to purchase at least one copy to continue to foster safe and healthy foundry workplaces. On behalf of everyone at AFS, thank you for all you do to promote safety at your foundry.