Class Code 3081
Foundries – Iron
Class Code 3081 covers California employers engaged in iron foundry operations, including melting, molding, pouring and finishing of iron castings. The WCIRBapproved pure premium for Sept 1, 2026 is $11.040 per $100 of payroll, which reflects the higher loss potential from molten metal, heavy material handling and silica exposures common in these shops. Understanding this classification helps foundry owners manage payroll coding, safety programs, and workers' comp costs.
What Class Code 3081 Covers
This classification specifically applies to facilities that melt and cast iron (gray, ductile, malleable) into molds and cores to produce castings and cast components. Covered operations include furnace and ladle work (cupola, induction, electric arc), mold and core making (green sand, chemical binders, cold-box), pattern shop activities, pouring and gating, shakeout and sand handling, fettling/grinding and shot blasting, heat treating and basic machining of castings. The code is limited to iron foundry operations and does not cover nonferrous foundries or downstream fabrication shops where casting is not performed. Also included are supporting roles on the foundry floor such as crane operators, maintenance mechanics working on furnaces and ventilation systems, and quality/test technicians assigned to casting processes.
Who It Applies To
- Independent iron foundries producing gray, ductile or malleable iron castings
- Pattern shops and core-making departments serving iron casting operations
- Furnace operators, melt shop and ladle handlers in iron foundries
- Fettling, grinding, shot-blasting and finishing crews for iron castings
- Maintenance technicians who service furnaces, sand reclamation and material handling equipment
- Shipping/receiving and material handlers regularly moving castings by crane or forklift
Common Job Duties
- Operating and monitoring cupola, induction or electric arc furnaces and charging raw materials
- Alloying, skimming and tapping molten iron into ladles and pouring into molds
- Preparing molds and cores (green sand, chemically-bonded, or mechanically-produced cores)
- Running shakeout, sand reclamation, and separating castings from gating systems
- Fettling, grinding, filing, shot-blasting, and hand-finishing cast surfaces
- Operating overhead cranes, hoists and forklifts to move ladles, molds and finished castings
- Performing preventive maintenance on furnaces, burners, ventilation and dust-collection systems
Common Injury Risks
Understanding the $11.040 Rate
The approved pure premium of $11.040 per $100 of payroll is the carrier's base loss cost for Class Code 3081 and represents the expected loss per unit of payroll before adjustments. Insurers multiply this rate by your payroll in hundreds of dollars, then apply your experience modification, policy-specific discounts or surcharges, schedule ratings, deductible programs and state assessments to determine the final premium. Factors that drive the actual premium include your claims history, the mix of operations (high-volume pouring vs. mainly finishing), level of automation, safety and medical surveillance programs, and accuracy of payroll coding.
Cal/OSHA Compliance Requirements
Foundries must comply with California Division of Occupational Safety and Health rules that address respirable crystalline silica exposure, hot work and molten metal safety, machine guarding, and noise exposure. Employers are required to maintain written programs such as an Injury and Illness Prevention Program (IIPP), respiratory protection program, hearing conservation, confined-space entry permits and heat illness prevention for hot processes. Adequate local exhaust ventilation, medical surveillance for silica exposure, respirator fit testing, and documented crane/hoist inspection procedures are commonly enforced in iron foundries.
How Key HR Helps Employers Under Class Code 3081
A PEO like Key HR helps foundry employers control workers' comp costs by ensuring accurate payroll classification, coordinating claims management and return-to-work plans, and implementing targeted loss-control services (silica exposure reduction, ventilation upgrades, hot-work protocols). Key HR can also provide training, OSHA recordkeeping, medical surveillance coordination and access to insurance markets that understand foundry risks, which together can reduce claim severity and improve experience modification factors.
Get a QuoteFrequently Asked Questions
Does Class Code 3081 apply to small pattern shops that only make cores and patterns?
If the pattern or core shop is integral to an iron foundry and molds or cores are used in iron casting operations, those activities are typically included under 3081. Standalone pattern shops that do not participate in melting or pouring but serve multiple metal types should be evaluated case-by-case with payroll split if needed.
How can we reduce our premium given the high pure premium for iron foundries?
Focus on measurable controls: engineer ventilation and dust-capture at molding and shakeout, implement a respiratory protection and medical surveillance program for silica, formalize hot-work and molten metal procedures, train employees on crane signaling and material handling, and establish a light-duty return-to-work system to lower claim severity and your experience modification.
What specific Cal/OSHA requirements around silica should foundries be prepared for?
Foundries must limit worker exposure to respirable crystalline silica through feasible engineering controls (e.g., local exhaust, enclosed processes), provide respirators when controls cannot keep exposures below the PEL, perform exposure monitoring, offer medical surveillance for overexposed workers, and maintain training and written procedures documenting control measures.
Quick Facts
- Class Code
- 3081
- Classification
- Foundries – Iron
- Pure Premium Rate
- $11.040 / $100 payroll
- Effective Date
- September 1, 2026
- Source
- WCIRB Approved Filing
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