NEWBURYPORT, MASS. (WHDH) - Federal authorities have hit a Newburyport manufacturer and its parent company with fines months after an explosion at a chemical plant killed a worker and left several others injured.
The US Department of Labor announced that PolyCarbon Industries Inc./SEQENS SAS will face $298,000 in fines after an investigation found the chemical plant had inadequate safeguards in place when an explosion tore through the facility on May 4.
According to a news release, OSHA investigators found “numerous deficiencies in the facility’s process safety management program for highly hazardous chemicals for the production and drying of a chemical product called Dekon 139 and for combustible dust hazards.”
“During the process, a pressure vessel exploded causing the employee’s fatal injuries,” the release stated.
PolyCarbon Industries Inc./SEQENS SAS was ultimately cited for 11 violations, including eight that were considered “serious” and two that were described as a “repeat” violations, according to the Department of Labor.
As a result, the OSHA assessed $298,254 in proposed penalties.
More details on OSHA’s findings can be found here.
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