U.S. EPA fines Torrance chemical company for safety violations
Under settlement, facility owner will pay penalty, make safety improvements
TORRANCE, Calif. (Dec. 7, 2021) – Today, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced a settlement with JCI Jones Chemicals, Inc. over Clean Air Act violations at its chemical facility in Torrance, California. JCI supplies chemicals to disinfect water systems and manufactures some chemicals on-site. JCI will pay a $200,000 penalty and restore its facility to compliance with the chemical accident prevention requirements of the Clean Air Act.
“Preventing accidental releases is paramount in our mission to protect human health and the environment,” said Amy Miller, EPA’s Enforcement and Compliance Assurance Division Director for the country’s Pacific Southwest region. “This settlement ensures JCI takes appropriate steps to make its facility safer for neighboring communities.”
In 2015 and 2017, EPA inspectors found violations of the Clean Air Act’s Chemical Accident Prevention requirements at the JCI facility at 1401 W. Del Amo Blvd. Among other violations, EPA found that JCI failed to address corrosion deficiencies in pipes, replace chlorine hoses prior to the replacement date, translate operating procedures for its Spanish-speaking employees, and adequately address in its hazard analysis the previous derailment of a railcar carrying sulfur dioxide.
In addition to paying the penalty, JCI has agreed to follow a schedule for translating its operating procedures and safe work practices into Spanish, to adopt a computerized maintenance management system, and to implement an accelerated schedule for emergency response exercises.
To find information on the Clean Air Act’s Risk Management Program, visit: https://www.epa.gov/rmp/fact-sheet-clean-air-act-section-112r-accidental-release-prevention-risk-management-plan-rule.
For more information on EPA’s National Compliance Initiative to reduce risks of releases at chemical management facilities, please visit https://www.epa.gov/enforcement/national-compliance-initiative-reducing-accidental-releases-industrial-and-chemical.
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