Pool Supply Firm Cited for Major Chlorine Gas Leak

The federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration on Monday cited a City of Commerce company for eight violations of federal health and safety laws in connection with a chlorine gas leak that forced about 20,000 residents to evacuate their homes over the Labor Day weekend.

Frank Strasheim, OSHA’s assistant regional administrator in San Francisco, said Grow Group Inc. has been cited for three willful and five serious violations of job safety and health standards. The agency proposed a $32,500 fine against the company.

Residents of East Los Angeles, Montebello, Monterey Park and the City of Commerce were rousted from their beds early on the morning of Sept. 3 when the chlorine leak formed a toxic cloud. Sixty-eight people were treated for minor injuries, mainly respiratory problems. Evacuees had to flee to emergency shelters.

The next day, more than 1,000 Montebello residents were forced to evacuate their homes after another toxic cloud drifted out of the Grow plant, which produces chlorine tablets for swimming pools.

Miguel Garcia, a Los Angeles County hazardous waste specialist, said the incidents could have been avoided if Grow had taken proper steps to deal with county health department citations issued after a similar occurrence Aug. 10.

On Monday, OSHA proposed $10,000 fines for each of three willful violations, based on findings that:

- Workers were exposed to toxic chemicals from possible leaks, ruptures or releases of the chemicals from 200 fiber-board drums containing chlorine and other hazardous waste products.

- Storage areas containing toxic chemicals were not cleaned promptly.

- The company had not developed and implemented an emergency response plan.

OSHA also cited Grow for five serious violations, each with a proposed penalty of $500. Inspectors cited improper storage of hazardous waste, a lack of proper engineering controls, inadequate labeling of hazardous waste containers, lack of respirators for workers and failure to monitor worker exposures.

The agency said nine other violations were discovered in its investigation, but that they were not sufficiently serious to warrant a fine.

Grow has 15 days to accept the OSHA findings or appeal.

Grow’s attorney did not return telephone calls seeking comment.

The Southern California Air Quality Management District announced last month that it was going to cite Grow for releasing hazardous chemicals into the air. In addition, the Los Angeles County district attorney’s environmental crimes unit is considering pressing charges against the company, according to sources in the district attorney’s office.