Waste Combustion Firm Fined for OSHA Violations

Bristol, PA – An OSHA inspection at Covanta’s Bristol (PA) incinerator found 16 serious violations of workplace safety and health standards. The waste combustion facility is facing a $80,000 fine for dangerous workplace practices. energy-from-waste, waste-to-energy plant, waste combustion

The investigation was spurned by an employee complaint to OSHA. The violations include toxic metals in ash, the dangers of falls or working in confined spaces, and electrical and mechanical hazards.

In its finding, OSHA said Covanta “needlessly exposed its employees to the hazards of electrocution, fire, falls, slips and trips, crushing, being trapped or overcome in a confined space, eye injuries and cancer, lung or kidney damage.”

In July 2011, it also paid a $400,000 fine penalty after its Connecticut burn plant sent toxic dioxins into the air. It also paid a dioxin emissions fine in 2009.

The company said it intended to contest the OSHA’s findings. “The health and safety of employees is our priority at Covanta so we take the recent citations at our Bristol facility very seriously,” said a spokesman. “We have reviewed the citations closely and have filed a notice to contest because we disagree with the assertions made by the OSHA.”