Non-GMO food additive manufacturer faces $180K in fines after explosion, fire injures 4 workers at Ohio facility

NEWARK, Ohio – A Newark food additive manufacturer’s failure to handle hazardous materials and respond properly to an emergency led to an explosion that injured four workers, including two contractors who scaled an 8-foot security fence topped with triple-strand barbed wire to escape the fireball.

An investigation by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration found Arboris LLC violated process safety management procedures for the handling of hazardous materials and did not have emergency shut-down procedures for the evaporator and rotary drum filter at the plant when the fire occurred on Dec. 21, 2015. The plant produces sterols, a renewable, non-genetically modified resource used in food manufacturing to lower cholesterol in products.

“Four workers were lucky to be able to escape with minor injuries after a fireball engulfed their work area,” said Vanessa Martin, OSHA’s area director in Columbus. “When employers fail to properly document procedures and control highly hazardous chemicals, there is a potential for unintentional releases which can cause explosions and fires. Companies must carefully monitor their processes to ensure safety in manufacturing facilities.”

OSHA issued Arboris one willful, 35 serious and five other-than-serious safety violations on June 17 and has proposed penalties of $180,180. Two Arboris workers suffered smoke inhalation and first-degree burns.

An investigation by the agency’s Columbus area office found Arboris failed to:

• Designate sufficient egress routes.
• Develop operational procedures to maintain the ongoing integrity of equipment.
• Develop procedures to prevent inadvertent startup or release of stored energy.
• Document inspections and maintenance.
• Follow standard operating procedures.
• Review operating procedures annually.
• Develop procedures for starting up the system after a turnaround.  
• Ensure piping and instrumentation diagrams are accurate.
• Provide clear instructions to employees during service and maintenance.
• Provide personal protective equipment necessary in the event of a fire.
• Install handrails on stairs.
• Enclose or guard electrical equipment.

Atlas Industrial Contractors LLC employed the two workers hurt scaling the fence. OSHA cited the company for one repeated, one serious and one other-than-serious safety violation on May 17 for failing to store gas cylinders properly and to provide flame-resistant clothing and other personal protective equipment. Atlas employees were working in the facility to decommission and demolishing old process equipment. OSHA has proposed fines of $41,000 to the Columbus-based company.

View citations for Arboris and Atlas.

Arboris has manufacturing plants in Savannah, Georgia, and Newark, to produce sterols – a natural compound produced by pine trees – used commonly in foods such as spreads, bread, milk and yogurt.

Columbus-based Atlas also operates facilities in Troy, Ohio; Lincoln, Alabama; and Longmont, Colorado.

Both companies have 15 business days from receipt of its citations and penalties to comply, request an informal conference with OSHA’s area director, or contest the findings before the independent Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission.

To ask questions, obtain compliance assistance, file a complaint, or report workplace hospitalizations, fatalities or situations posing imminent danger to workers, the public should call OSHA’s toll-free hotline at 800-321-OSHA (6742) or the agency’s Columbus office at 614-469-5582.

Under the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970, employers are responsible for providing safe and healthful workplaces for their employees. OSHA’s role is to ensure these conditions for America’s working men and women by setting and enforcing standards, and providing training, education and assistance. For more information, visit http://www.osha.gov.