Chemical leak brings OSHA inspectors to facility
May 7, 2009 by Fred HosierPosted in: Chemical safety, In this week's e-newsletter, Latest News & Views, OSHA news, Who Got Fined and Why?
You know OSHA will send inspectors to a facility when there is a fatality or multiple serious injuries. But chemicals leaks will also bring inspectors calling.
Metalor Technologies faces $46,500 in fines relating to a chlorine leak at the plant on Nov. 7, 2008.
The leak forced more than 200 people to evacuate. Officials said two employees were changing a one-ton chlorine bottle when a hose fractured and released chlorine into the air. The two employees weren’t injured because they were wearing protective gear.
OSHA has cited the company for 10 serious violations involving deficiencies in the plant’s Process Safety Management program, including failure to:
- compile information on the chemicals, technology and equipment used in the purifying process
- perform an initial process hazard analysis
- develop and implement written procedures covering the process
- audit the process at least once every three years, and
- obtain and evaluate the safety and health programs of outside contractors working in the plant.
The company has 15 days to decide whether to contest the fines.
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Tags: chlorine leak, Metalor Technologies, process safety management
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May 12th, 2009 at 7:42 am
Who is the safety manager in this company? He ever do his walks around the company areas and inspecting the conections and pipes with chemicals? I DO! I walk and work the extra mile to prevent accidents. I take care my position and do my job!
What about training in Hazardous chemicals? HAZWOPER or any other training? Where is the knowledge of management? Is something to think about it…Someone has to get blame, no matter what.
WHY WAIT TO OSHA FOUND THE PROBLEMS, FOR THE WORKERS OR FOR ANY COMPANY IS JEOPARDY? Why they are not in compliance? I can see is careless!
May 12th, 2009 at 10:13 am
This sounds like the same thing you would find at most company s “Lack of Documentation”. If there wasn’t training done with 200 people evacuated you would have had injuries or worse. especially with a chlorine leak. From the amount of the fine in reality this wasn’t serious. Fines start at $7,000 and go up so if this was more than just lack of documentation or flagrant misconduct the fine would have been $70,000+ not $46,000. I wish I lived in Nestors world but unfortunately I’ve spent 2 years learning and teaching the necessities of documentation for a program that hasn’t been touched since 1996. This is just a reminder for us less fortunate s in small time America that there by the grace of god go I. Remember document ,document,document!