NEW: Dudley Packaging Plant Paying $485K Penalty for EPA Violations

Wednesday, April 17, 2013

GolocalWorcester News Team

Shield Packaging Company, Inc. of Central Mass. has been hit with $484,900 in penalties from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) after violating several state and federal laws.

According to a release from the government agency, the Dudley liquid and aerosol packaging facility has agreed to pay the fines to settle claims that they violated numerous federal and state environmental regulations.

The EPA’s complaint was filed in September 2012, and stated that Shield Packaging Company, Inc. violated rules regarding hazardous waste management, chemical accident prevention, hazardous chemical inventory reporting, and oil pollution prevention contained in the Clean Air Act, the Emergency Planning & Community Right-to-Know Act, the Clean Water Act, and the Mass. Hazardous Waste Management Regulations.

“Failing to carefully follow hazardous waste management, chemical accident prevention, and oil spill prevention requirements poses increased risks of exposure to dangerous substances for both humans and the environment,” said Curt Spalding, regional administrator of EPA’s New England office. “Hazardous substances must be properly handled, stored and disposed of to ensure that the local community and first responders are not subject to unacceptable risks.”

The EPA alleged that Shield Packaging had not fully developed or used a risk management plan that adequately addressed processes that used extremely hazardous substances at the facility.

The company also failed to submit a required inventory of all hazardous materials on site to emergency responders, and failed to fully implement an oil spill Prevention, Control and Countermeasure plan, as required by federal law.

Further, the company violated the Massachusetts Hazardous Waste Management Regulations by failing to conduct hazardous waste determinations on wastes at the facility, failing to manage hazardous wastes in accordance with required federal and state management practices, and failing to implement an adequate hazardous waste management training program at the facility.

Risk Management Plans help prevent accidental releases of substances that can seriously harm the public and the environment from short-term exposures. The plans also reduce the severity of releases that do occur. A company that fails to create and put in place this type of plan for an extremely hazardous substance can leave the public and environment at risk from accidental releases.

Hazardous chemical inventory reports required under the federal Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act help protect emergency personnel and the community by making them aware of which hazardous chemicals are present at a local facility.

Oil spill prevention plans required under the Clean Water Act help prevent accidental releases of oil from reaching nearby waters, by requiring facilities that store significant quantities of oil to adopt certain measures and controls that reduce the risks associated with releases.