LENEXA, KAN. (AUG. 14, 2023) – Advanced Heat Treat Corp. of Waterloo, Iowa, has agreed to pay a $85,000 civil penalty to resolve alleged violations of the federal Clean Air Act’s chemical risk prevention provisions.
“It is critical that companies that handle dangerous chemicals comply with the safety requirements of the Clean Air Act,” said David Cozad, director of EPA Region 7’s Enforcement and Compliance Assurance Division. “EPA is committed to protecting communities from potentially catastrophic releases, particularly those communities that may be disproportionately affected by environmental harm.”
According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the company’s metallurgical heat treat facility stores over 10,000 pounds of anhydrous ammonia, a regulated toxic substance, and failed to comply with certain regulations intended to protect the surrounding community from accidental releases, including failure to submit a Risk Management Plan and implement a hazard assessment. Anhydrous ammonia presents a significant health hazard because it is corrosive to the skin, eyes and lungs. High levels of exposure may lead to choking and death.
Advanced Heat Treat Corp. is in a community identified by EPA as potentially more vulnerable to pollution due to socioeconomic factors. EPA is strengthening enforcement in such communities to address disproportionately high effects of pollution on vulnerable populations.
EPA says that Advanced Heat Treat has taken the necessary steps to return the facility to compliance.
Clean Air Act Risk Management Program Rule regulations require facilities that use regulated toxic and/or flammable substances to develop a Risk Management Plan that identifies the potential effects of a chemical accident, identifies steps a facility is taking to prevent an accident, and spells out emergency response procedures should an accident occur. These plans provide valuable information to local fire, police, and emergency response personnel to prepare for, and respond to, chemical emergencies in their community.
EPA has found that many regulated facilities are not adequately managing the risks that they pose or ensuring the safety of their facilities in a way that is sufficient to protect surrounding communities. Approximately 150 catastrophic accidents occur per year at regulated facilities. These accidents result in fatalities, injuries, significant property damage, evacuations, sheltering in place, or environmental damage. Many more accidents with lesser effects also occur, demonstrating a clear risk posed by these facilities.
Reducing risks from accidental releases of hazardous substances at industrial and chemical facilities is a top priority for EPA, which identified this goal as one of seven National Compliance Initiatives in 2019.
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