The Occupational Health and Safety Administration cited BWC Terminals, Coastal Environmental Solutions and One Way Environmental Services for failing to protect workers while cleaning up a sulfuric acid spill at a BWC Terminals facility in late December. One million gallons of sulfuric acid spilled in the incident, during which a ruptured supply line led to multiple employee injuries, U.S. officials said.
Two people were treated at a hospital and dozens more were evaluated. Some of the chemical entered the Houston Ship Channel, though at the time, the amount was unknown.
OSHA conducted three inspections after the Dec. 27 spill and said officials found violations that largely center around a lack of training and safety precautions. One Way Environmental Services, a subcontractor that provided labor for the cleanup, received 23 violations: the most by far.
Representatives of the three companies did not return requests for comment.
“Despite having full knowledge of the severe hazards involved in the spill and cleanup response, these three employers chose to bypass OSHA requirements and put their workers at serious risk,” David Keeling, assistant secretary of labor for OSHA, said in a release. “Their joint failure to protect workers was not an oversight, it was a choice that resulted in preventable employee injuries and environmental impacts. We will not hesitate to hold employers accountable when they ignore federal laws that are in place to protect workers safety and health.”
One Way Environmental Services racked up 18 willful egregious violations and five serious violations. The fine for each willful or repeated violation is $165,514. Serious violations are $16,550 per violation, according to OSHA.
The company sent workers to the spill without proper training, respirator fit tests or safety measures, according to the Department of Labor. OSHA proposed more than $3 million in penalties against the company.
OSHA officials report finding two willful violations and five serious violations at Coastal Environmental Solutions, the cleanup contractor that hired workers from One Way Environmental Services. Those violations hinged on inadequate training, a lack of a health and safety program and an emergency response plan and “deficiencies” tied to respirator use.
The contractor’s proposed penalties totaled $392,501.
BWC Terminals got six serious violations for exposing workers to chemical burns, failing to provide hazmat training and having deficiencies related to respirator use, the agency reports. BWC mixed fresh and spent sulfuric acid despite safety warnings before the supply line ruptured, according to the Department of Labor.
OSHA proposed $82,750 in penalties against the company.
Each of the companies must either comply, request an “informal conference” with an OSHA area director or contest the findings within 15 days of receiving the citations and penalties, according to the Department of Labor. Failure to abate costs $16,550 per day, according to OSHA.