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TEMPLE, TX – Federal workplace safety investigators have determined that a Temple manufacturer and designer of school furnishings could have prevented an employee's serious and permanent hand and arm injuries by installing required machine guards.

Investigators with the U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration learned that in April 2024, while using a garden hose to clean machine rollers at Artco-Bell Corp., the hose became caught in the rollers, pulling the worker's arm into the machine and leading to the worker injury.

In addition to failing to ensure the use of machine guards, OSHA inspectors found the company exposed workers to respirable crystalline silica hazards. The agency issued citations for 24 serious safety and health violations and assessed $257,183 in proposed penalties.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced today that U.S. Army Garrison Fort Wainwright will pay $233,300 for violating federal hazardous waste management requirements.

During a routine inspection of the garrison in August 2021 EPA inspectors found several violations of the Resources Conservation and Recovery Act including failure to make a hazardous waste determination, storage of hazardous waste without a permit, failure to properly manage pharmaceutical waste, failure to properly manage used oil, and failure to properly manage universal waste such as aerosol cans and lamps.

At the time of the inspection, EPA determined the facility was operating as an unpermitted hazardous waste treatment, storage, and disposal facility. Several hazardous wastes were stored improperly and containers were left open or were stored on-site longer than allowed. [ more ]

(Hartford, CT) – Attorney General William Tong announced today a series of penalties and payments totaling $350,000 to be paid by Soundview Transportation following the November 2022 oil tanker accident in Norfolk, resulting in the largest gasoline spill in Connecticut history. In addition to the penalties, Soundview is fully responsible for the ongoing remediation and clean-up of the site, costing millions of dollars.

Today's settlement also addresses two smaller spills, one in Milford on March 16, 2023 and the other at the Gateway Montville terminal on September 13, 2023. Both of those spills have been remediated.

"Soundview's tanker accident resulted in the largest oil spill in Connecticut history—with severe disruption to neighbors and significant environmental harm. Soundview has taken responsibility for the ongoing remediation, and the state continues to closely monitor that work. Today's $350,000 settlement, including a substantial penalty, sends a clear message that those who violate our environmental laws will be held accountable," said Attorney General Tong. [ more ]