A nationwide shipping company is facing up to $89,000 in fines after failing to protect its workers from a dangerous chemical spill and potential explosion in Wallingford last October, according to the Occupational Health and Safety Administration.
Authorities said employees of R+L Carriers Shared Services LLC were using a forklift to move barrels of highly flammable tetrahydrofuran on Oct. 6, 2014 when a 55-gallon drum was punctured. The barrel began leaking through a truck bed and onto the floor, according to OSHA.
Employees roped off the area and tried to mop up the spill but had no guidance, no training and no equipment to protect them, OSHA said, asserting that the spill exposed them to chemical, fire and explosion hazards.
OSHA also said the forklift was not being used properly.
R+L Carriers was cited for two repeat violations and four serious violations, indicating employees faced potentially life-threatening situations that could have been prevented by proper oversight. The repeat violations stem from prior incidents at the company’s Chicago terminal.
The company employees 9,000 workers, 45 of whom are based in Wallingford, and is headquartered in Ohio. R+L Carriers has 15 days to meet with OSHA or contest the findings.
