The U.S. Department of Labor announced on Monday that it fined BioLab $61,000 in penalties related to a chemical fire that occurred at the company’s Conyers-based facility last September.
An investigation by the department’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) found that the fire originated at a company warehouse that “improperly stored hazardous chemicals,” according to a press release.
OSHA cited the chemical manufacturing company for four serious and two other-than-serious violations, totaling $61,473 in proposed penalties.
According to the department, Bio-Lab has 15 business days after receiving notice of the citations and penalties to comply, request an informal conference with OSHA’s area director, or contest the findings before the independent Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission.
BioLab told WABE in a statement on Tuesday that they have been in close contact with OSHA and consider operational safety at their facilities a serious matter.
“OSHA’s investigation did not focus on the cause of the incident, and the agency shared no findings with the company that would substantiate the statement in the press release about the cause,” said a company spokesperson. “Consistent with our commitment to working collaboratively with OSHA, we continue to dialogue with the agency and its representatives as we work together to further enhance our safety procedures for the future.”
The citations are a few of the consequences BioLab experienced within the past seven months.
On Sept. 27, a chemical fire at the Conyers plant accidentally led to chemical exposure that impacted the air quality within the county and posed potential health risks to community members. Roughly 17,000 Rockdale residents received an evacuation order after the incident, while a shelter-in-place order took effect for others.
The incident was one of several that had previously occurred at the plant, leaving community members and leaders to question whether the company was prioritizing safety.
In October, Rockdale County officials filed a lawsuit against the company, telling the public that they had “enough” of the safety risks BioLab has caused in their community.
“If you could see the picture of that plume going over our house, you would understand the seriousness of this,” Commisioner Sherri Washington during an October press conference. “We can no longer stand by and allow a corporation to continuously affect our current and future physical health, our mental health and our overall quality of life.”
On Sept. 14, 2020, the U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board sent a team to investigate BioLab due to a chemical reaction that sent chlorine vapor throughout Conyers. A spokesperson for the company at the time told the USCSHIB team the incident was caused by water exposure inside the facility.
In 2016, the Georgia Environmental Protection Division received complaints of smoke coming out of the facility that was “a chemical decomposition was reported to have started in the east portion of the Bio-Lab hazardous waste storage area.”
In 2004, the Georgia Environmental Protection Division fined BioLab $24,000 for a fire at a warehouse containing millions of pounds of pool chemicals. Thousands of residents evacuated. The enforcement order also required BioLab to do environmental cleanup and restoration work of VFW Post 5290 Lake after runoff caused a fish kill.
According to the website of its parent company, KIK Consumer Products, the Conyers facility makes chemicals for spas and pools. It has since been closed, and no announcement has yet been made regarding whether or not it will reopen for operation.
Marisa Mecke contributed to this report.
