OSHA Proposes $3.5M in Fines Over Acid Spill Response
- The Occupational Safety and Health Administration proposed more than $3.5 million in fines against three companies — BWC Terminals LLC, Coastal Environmental Solutions Inc., and One Way Environmental Services LLC — following a roughly 1-million-gallon sulfuric acid release near the Houston Ship Channel, with most of the penalty total tied not to the spill itself but to safety failures during the subsequent cleanup.
- OSHA alleges the release began when workers at BWC mixed fresh and spent sulfuric acid despite safety warnings, building pressure that ruptured a tank supply line, injuring several workers. BWC then hired Coastal Environmental as the primary hazardous-waste cleanup contractor, which in turn brought in One Way to supply frontline labor.
- BWC Terminals, the facility owner, faces the smallest proposed penalty at $82,750, while Coastal Environmental Solutions faces $392,501. Staffing subcontractor One Way Environmental Services faces $3,045,452, reflecting the number and severity of citations, with some violations classified as “egregious,” which allows for separate penalties per affected worker.
- OSHA’s citations center on alleged failures under the Hazardous Waste Operations and Emergency Response standard and respiratory protection standard, including inadequate training, missing medical surveillance and fit-testing and insufficient protective equipment for handling corrosive sulfuric acid.
OSHA Cites Pet Food Maker Over Kettle Explosions Behind Three Deaths
- The Occupational Safety and Health Administration has fined Janesville, Wisconsin pet food maker NaturPak more than $350,000 following two industrial kettle explosions this year — one on Feb/ 12 that killed one worker and injured another, and a second on March 18 that killed two workers and injured another.
- The U.S. Department of Labor said both explosions stemmed from pressure buildup in industrial kettles. The first occurred when a clogged vent line caused a kettle to open under pressure, and the second when a kettle lid opened while pressurized, releasing steam, liquid, and organic material onto nearby workers in both incidents.
- OSHA cited NaturPak for hazards including fall risks to lower levels and into the kettles, failure to notify employees working near permit-required confined spaces, exposing workers to thermal hazards without quick access to emergency water and failing to properly assess personal protective equipment for thermal risks.
- OSHA proposed $115,850 in penalties for the first explosion and $248,250 for the second.
- NaturPak said it has been collaborating with OSHA during its review and is updating its production facilities and safety protocols, though the company can still contest the findings.
Kaiser Aluminum Employee Dies After Fall, Cardiac Arrest
- A Kaiser Aluminum employee died Aug. 21 after falling and going into cardiac arrest at the company’s facility in Comstock Township, near Kalamazoo, Michigan, according to Comstock Fire & Rescue and Life EMS.
- Coworkers attempted CPR and used an AED before first responders arrived, but the employee was pronounced dead at the scene by a doctor.
- A Kaiser Aluminum spokesperson said the company is “deeply saddened” and has made counseling available to employees following the death.
- Kaiser’s Kalamazoo-area site produces soft alloy aluminum extrusions.