Manchester Company Facing $907,000 OSHA Fine For Exposure Violations

HARTFORD, CT — A Manchester company that deals with volatile materials is facing a fine totaling $907,000 from the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration for what OSHA identified as exposing employees to a dangerous carcinogen.

The announcement from the U.S. Department to Labor was made Friday, about two weeks after OSHA submitted a report on the company's practices.

The exact amount of the proposed fine is $907,253, according to the labor department.

According to an OSHA report, the proposed penalty comes after months of complaints from employees of Phoenix Environmental Laboratories Inc., located at 587 Middle Turnpike East in Manchester. According to an OSHA report, employees complained to management about faulty ventilation systems at the work site and symptoms that included dizziness, light-headedness, headaches and unsteady walking, all of which can be caused by exposure to methylene chloride, what OSHA described as "a highly hazardous chemical and a workplace carcinogen."

Phoenix Environmental Laboratories is an environmental laboratory specializing in analysis and testing of water, soil, sludge, air and solid samplings. Company officials said Phoenix is "committed" to working with OSHA because employee safety is "paramount."

According to an OSHA report, due to inadequate ventilation and recurring leaks from equipment in work areas, plus the use of methylene chloride in analyzing environmental samples, employees sustained exposures to methylene chloride, including some "above the permissible exposure limit."

Said OSHA, "Despite knowledge of these employee complaints that addressed health hazard concerns, management at Phoenix Environmental Laboratories Inc. took few effective measures to monitor and address the exposures and provide effective safeguards for its employees."

As a result, the U.S. Department of Labor's OSHA inspection arm found that Phoenix Environmental Laboratories Inc. failed to:

• Ensure employees were not overexposed to methylene chloride
• Perform initial exposure monitoring and inform employees of monitoring results
• Determine employees’ exposure levels when the control methods were known to be inadequate
• Ensure adequate ventilation during procedures that exposed employees to methylene chloride
• Implement procedures to detect, contain and safely dispose of leaking methylene chloride
• Provide employees with adequate skin, eye and face protection from methylene chloride and other solvents
• Make medical surveillance available and provide medical exams to exposed employees
• Provide employees with information and training on the hazards associated with the chemicals they use
• Ensure that chemical fume hoods functioned properly and did not leak onto employees

"Phoenix Environmental Laboratories knew of its employees' exposure to a highly hazardous and carcinogenic chemical, yet chose to ignore their complaints and failed to take effective corrective action," OSHA Area Director Dale Varney said.

OSHA uncovered additional hazards during the inspection, which included exposure to flammable vapors, improper storage, unsafe handling and transfer of flammable chemicals, lack of suitable quick-drenching eye facilities where corrosives were used, and several electrical violations.

View the citations here.

Phoenix has 15 days from receipt of the penalties to respond. Company officials quickly responded to an email from Patch and issued a response:

"Phoenix Environmental Laboratories was the subject of an OSHA inspection in February which resulted in the company being cited for potential violations of various OSHA standards. While Phoenix is reviewing the penalty classifications with OSHA, the company shares with OSHA the goal of assuring workplace safety.

"Phoenix recognizes that the safety regulations pertaining to the operation of an environmental laboratory are highly complex and has welcomed OSHA’s expertise in identifying where changes should be made. Phoenix immediately began making improvements that OSHA recommended while the inspection was in process and will continue to do so.

"Phoenix Environmental Laboratories considers employee safety to be of paramount importance and is committed to working with OSHA to assure that the company is in compliance with the standards pertaining to environmental laboratories."