The U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration cited a chemical plant operator for 16 violations for not doing enough to protect employees from exposure to chemicals, including ethylene oxide, a known carcinogen.
OSHA said Tuesday it issued both repeat and serious safety and health violation citations to BCP Ingredients Inc., a subsidiary of Balchem Corp., a Montvale, New Jersey-based producer of nutrition and health products for animals and humans. The alleged violations took place at BCP’s Verona, Missouri plant.
The company was cited for similar hazards less than two years ago.
OSHA proposed $393,798 in penalties in the latest case. The company has 15 business days to contest the citations and fines.
The agency cited BCP for failing to train workers on actions to take in the event of a chemical release, exposing respirators to ethylene oxide while in storage, allowing electrical safety hazards, and failing to develop an emergency evacuation plan.