Critical New Resources for Galvanizing Operations
The American Galvanizers Association has released two important technical resources addressing key operational aspects of hot-dip galvanizing facilities. These publications provide practical guidance for improving workplace safety and preventing costly equipment failures, supporting the industry's commitment to continuous improvement in health, safety, and operational excellence.
Workplace Safety Metrics 2023 Survey Report
The Health and Safety Subcommittee has published the Workplace Safety Metrics 2023 Survey Report, developed from comprehensive responses provided by AGA member facilities. This inaugural report establishes baseline safety performance data across the North American hot-dip galvanizing industry and identifies trends that can inform safety program development and improvement initiatives.
The survey captures critical safety indicators including incident rates, injury types, near-miss reporting, and safety program elements employed by facilities of varying sizes and operational characteristics. By aggregating this data while protecting individual facility confidentiality, the report provides valuable benchmarking information that helps galvanizing operations assess their safety performance relative to industry norms.
Annual Safety Data Collection
Beginning in 2025, the AGA will collect and publish workplace safety metrics annually, creating a longitudinal dataset that tracks industry progress over time. This ongoing data collection enables identification of emerging trends, evaluation of safety initiative effectiveness, and recognition of areas requiring additional focus or resources. Member participation in these annual surveys is essential for maintaining data quality and representativeness.
The workplace safety metrics initiative reflects the industry's commitment to protecting workers through data-driven safety program development. Facilities can use the published benchmarks to set internal improvement targets, justify safety investment decisions, and demonstrate their safety commitment to customers and regulatory agencies.
Kettle Failure Mitigation and Remediation Guide
The Processing Subcommittee has developed comprehensive guidance on kettle failure prevention and remedial response through the whitepaper \Kettle Failure Mitigation and Remediation.\" This technical guide draws extensively from the TechForum 2023 presentation \"Kettle Failures: Lessons Learned\" delivered by Jim Saylor of V&S Galvanizing, combining field experience with technical analysis to help facilities anticipate and prevent common failure modes.
Galvanizing kettles represent critical capital equipment subjected to extreme operating conditions—continuous exposure to molten zinc at temperatures exceeding 800 degrees Fahrenheit while supporting substantial loads. Understanding failure mechanisms and implementing preventive strategies extends kettle service life, prevents unplanned downtime, and protects worker safety.
Key Content Areas
The guide addresses common kettle failure causes including thermal stress cracking, corrosion from flux exposure, mechanical damage from load handling, and metallurgical degradation. For each failure mode, the publication outlines warning signs that may indicate developing problems, preventive maintenance practices that reduce failure risk, and recommended response procedures should failure occur.
Practical guidance covers kettle inspection protocols, structural reinforcement strategies, maintenance scheduling, and emergency response planning. The document emphasizes proactive management approaches that identify potential issues before they escalate into costly failures requiring extended facility shutdowns.
Industry Collaboration and Technical Development
Both publications exemplify the collaborative approach that characterizes AGA technical resource development. The workplace safety metrics survey succeeds only through voluntary participation by member facilities willing to share operational data for collective benefit. The kettle failure guidance synthesizes knowledge from multiple experienced galvanizing professionals who contributed insights from their facility operations.
Special recognition goes to Jim Saylor of V&S Galvanizing for developing and presenting the foundational content on kettle failures during TechForum 2023. Additional significant contributions came from Jared Kaufman (CIC Pittsburgh), Ryan Monnig (Monnig Industries), Bob Messler (V&S), John Roy (RaceRock), and members of the Health and Safety Subcommittee who refined and expanded the guidance based on their collective expertise.
Accessing the Resources
Both the Workplace Safety Metrics 2023 Survey Report and the Kettle Failure Mitigation and Remediation guide are available through the American Galvanizers Association. Member facilities should review these publications to identify opportunities for improving their own operations and contributing to future survey cycles.
Technical Services Committee Participation
AGA members interested in contributing to future technical resource development can join Technical Services Committee subcommittees focused on health and safety, processing technology, quality assurance, or other operational aspects of hot-dip galvanizing. Committee participation provides opportunities to shape industry guidance, share best practices, and stay current with evolving technologies and regulations.
The Technical Services Committee coordinates development of specifications, technical publications, and guidance documents that serve the entire galvanizing industry. Subcommittee work includes reviewing draft standards, developing position papers on emerging issues, and creating practical resources that address real-world operational challenges.
Continuous Improvement Through Shared Knowledge
These new resources demonstrate the value of industry collaboration in advancing operational excellence. By systematically collecting safety data and documenting lessons learned from equipment challenges, the galvanizing industry builds collective knowledge that benefits all participants. Facilities of all sizes can access insights that might otherwise require decades of individual experience to accumulate.
The commitment to annual safety data collection and ongoing technical guidance development ensures that the industry continues advancing safety performance and operational reliability. As participation grows and datasets expand, the value of these resources will increase, enabling more sophisticated analysis and targeted improvement initiatives.
Implementation and Application
Galvanizing facilities should integrate guidance from these publications into their existing safety programs and maintenance procedures. The workplace safety metrics provide benchmarking data useful for setting performance targets and justifying resource allocation for safety initiatives. The kettle failure guide offers specific inspection protocols and maintenance practices that can be incorporated into preventive maintenance schedules.
Management teams should review both documents to identify gaps in current procedures and opportunities for improvement. Safety committees can use the metrics to structure incident analysis and near-miss investigation processes. Maintenance supervisors should evaluate kettle inspection and monitoring practices against recommendations in the failure prevention guide.
Partner with Industry Leaders
V&S Galvanizing actively contributes to industry knowledge development through participation in AGA technical committees and sharing of operational experience. Our facilities implement the best practices outlined in these and other industry guidance documents, maintaining rigorous safety programs and proactive equipment maintenance protocols. We welcome opportunities to discuss operational challenges and solutions with other industry participants, supporting the collaborative approach that drives continuous improvement throughout the hot-dip galvanizing sector.
For access to these resources and information about Technical Services Committee participation, visit the original AGA announcement.
