Chemical plant fined $394K for putting employees at risk of exposure to toxic substances

Following a safety inspection, OSHA official found 16 violations at a chemical plant in Verona, Missouri. BCP Ingredients Inc., a subsidiary of Balchem Corp, was putting employees at risk of exposure to toxic substances such as ethylene oxide. The company received four repeat and nine serious safety and health violations and will have to pay $393,798 in fines. BCP Ingredients also failed to provide adequate medical evaluation procedures for workers exposed to ethylene oxide. The company was investigated in 2021 and received 24 serious safety and health violations.

In a recent quote, OSHA Area Director Karena Lorek said, “Ethylene oxide is a colorless and flammable gas and unsafe exposure can cause cancer and other serious health issues. The company’s  failure to address its previous violations and follow OSHA regulations is troubling. BCP needs to bring its monitoring procedures into compliance immediately and re-evaluate its engineering processes to make sure its employees are kept safe and healthy.”