Dive Brief:
- Soap manufacturer Zep Inc. faces $161,310 in Occupational Safety and Health Administration penalties after a nitrogen dioxide gas release hospitalized 12 workers at its subsidiary AFCO’s Chambersburg, Pennsylvania, plant in July 2024.
- Inspectors found high gas exposure levels, inadequate emergency response and violations in respiratory protection and hazard communication in regards to the July incident, according to OSHA’s Jan. 14 press release.
- Zep has faced multiple similar citations for not training employees on hazardous chemicals dating back to 2022, with fines totaling at least $90,000.
Dive Insight:
OSHA inspectors in July found AFCO did not take action to assess the impact of the release immediately and did not swiftly evacuate workers from the building as a precaution. Workers were exposed to nitrogen dioxide gas levels exceeding the chemical’s maximum limit of 5 parts per million, the citation stated.
Twelve workers were sent to the hospital and two had to be hospitalized. Nitrogen dioxide gas is an inert gas and can create a hazardous atmosphere with less than 19.5% oxygen. The symptoms of exposure can cause mucus production, cough, painful breathing, fevers and chest pains, according to the agency's website.
“AFCO’s lack of urgency in addressing the hazardous conditions put employees at serious risk,” said OSHA Area Director Kevin Chambers in a statement.
AFCO is headquartered in Atlanta and produces and distributes maintenance, cleaning and sanitation solutions. The company has four manufacturing plants in the U.S. in Pennsylvania, Arizona, Idaho and Georgia.
At its facility in Chambersburg, OSHA cited AFCO for 12 violations, including one repeat offense for not training employees on procedures and operations in the event of the presence or release of hazardous chemical.
Parent company Zep, founded in 1937, is a manufacturer of cleaning and maintenance products that serve the industrial, institutional and retail markets. Zep was cited for four serious violations over the last two years for failing to protect employees at its Emerson, Georgia, facility.
During a chemical spill on Aug. 30, 2022, employees were hospitalized after suffering chemical burns to the throat and lungs. Workers’ chemical resistant shoes were also damaged, according to a 2023 citation.
The company had 15 days from Dec. 31, 2024, to comply, seek an informal conference or contest the findings, according to the release.
Zep Inc. did not reply to a request from Manufacturing Dive for comment.
