OSHA has fined a Belvedere, IL, company $510,000 in connection with a December 2009 explosion that killed a bystander.
NDK Crystals has 15 business days to decide whether to contest the fines.
The explosion at the company’s crystal manufacturing facility took the life of a truck driver parked at a nearby service station.
OSHA says NDK knowingly operated high pressure vessels even after being warned of the potential for catastrophic failure due to fabrication defects.
NDK received seven willful OSHA violations, one for each of the seven high pressure vessels in operation.
OSHA also issued five serious violations for failing to:
- evaluate the building for a catastrophic event
- have an emergency evacuation program
- implement a hazard communication program
- provide PPE, and
- provide training certification.
The U.S. Chemical Safety Board is also investigating the explosion to find its root causes.
