OSHA issues $57K fine to Ohio e-scrap recycling firm

By Paul Ploumis (ScrapMonster Author)

December 18, 2015 07:48:12 AM

EUCLID (Scrap Monster): Echo Environmental Waverly LLC, a closed e-scrap firm previously owned by Elemetal LLC of Dallas has been cited by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) Cincinnati Area Office for 9 violations. The authority has also issued a fine of $56,800 to the company. OSHA had initiated an inspection at the site in June this year, following complaints that workers at the Waverly, Ohio facility were exposed to severe lead hazards.

In a press release released earlier this month, OSHA called upon the company to make immediate changes to its procedures to ensure workers are not exposed to lead or carrying it home with them from their shift. The inspection at the facility found that workers were exposed to lead above the permissible limits. Moreover, the company failed to monitor exposure levels strictly. OSHA also found that the company failed to provide protective clothing to workers. Also, the facility lacked provisions for laundry and disposal containers for contaminated cloth. Other citations include failure to label containers containing lead and allowing workers to eat and drink in areas where lead was likely present.

OSHA has proposed total penalties amounting to $56,850.

Echo Environmental Waverly LLC’s Waverly facility operates as a subsidiary of Elemetal LLC. In a recent press release, the parent company had stated that Echo Environmental's name has been changed to Elemetal Recycling. The facility recycles cable boxes, and extracts and sells metals. Elemetal Recycling has one of the nation's largest networks of collection facilities, with over 40 locations accepting small-volume electronic waste.