Petrolia, Pa.-The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has cited Indspec Chemical Corp. for alleged safety and health violations and proposed $121,500 in penalties. This occurs as the aftermath of an OSHA investigation last fall into a release of sulfuric acid fumes at the company’s facility that resulted in the evacuation of residents living within a three-mile radius. In addition, the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection assessed the company a separate penalty of $34,187. OSHA said the 27 serious violations address hazards associated with process safety management; hazardous waste operations and emergency response, including the company’s failure to identify all of the causal factors of the incident during the investigation; failure to secure employee input on process safety management operating procedures; failure to provide employees with proper respiratory protection; inadequate process hazard analyses; inaccurate and ambiguous operating procedures; inadequate training; and a deficient emergency response plan. The Petrolia company, which manufactures industrial organic chemicals and employs about 260 workers, has 15 business days from receipt of the citations to comply, request an informal conference with the OSHA area director in Pittsburgh, or contest the citations and proposed penalties before the independent Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission.
Transparency Across the Fertilizer Value-Chain