An inside look at what EPA inspectors found at Smitty’s Supply

Article sums it up pretty clearly for any with the time to read. The full report + pictures is even more damning. Pretty clear that it was not a matter of if but when there would be a major incident at this facility. Smitty's is going to be an textbook example of what NOT to do when it comes to industrial hygiene for years to come.

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A U.S. Environmental Protection Agency inspection of the Smitty’s Supply Inc. petroleum packaging plant in Tangipahoa Parish discovered hundreds of other chemical spills and hazards in areas unaffected by the August explosion and fire.

EPA officials detailed their findings in an inspection report that formed the basis of a consent order that requires the company to address violations inspectors documented during an Oct. 7 visit to the Roseland facility. The agency made the report public Tuesday, stating in a news release that inspectors found an estimated 250 damaged containers, 200 chemical spills and more than 300 containers of unlabeled or unidentified substances.

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The report includes alleged violations discovered in two undamaged warehouses that are the apparent focus of a related environmental crimes investigation, though the agency has said little about that case. The EPA Criminal Investigative Division, with assistance from the FBI, served a search warrant at the facility Nov. 18 that paused recovery operations near Warehouse 6 and Warehouse 10 for two days, according to information from other EPA records.

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Many containers had no labels except for rudimentary hand-written notes with vague warnings such as “Danger,” “Waste,” “Bad,” “Expired,” and in one instance “Do Not Touch must do Labs.” Some labeled with “Corrosive” placards had their tops cut open with oily liquids, trash and debris inside.

In one area of the facility called the Truck Stop, inspectors found a collection of drums with “Radioactive” placards, with yellow police crime scene tape wrapped around the barrels.

Oily liquids were found in open drums, buckets and other containers — many without lids or with pieces of cardboard serving as makeshift covers. Some open drums sat outside with unidentified oily liquids, trash and random discarded items inside. Others were in patches of grass with no containment area to prevent spills from escaping.

Many containers had spilled or were actively spilling chemicals at the time of the inspection, the records said. Some unlabeled containers were surrounded by weeds and visibly deteriorating, and others were surrounded by barren patches of soil saturated with an unknown oily material.

Some totes, which are large, plastic containers with metal support cages, appeared damaged, corroded or bulging with pressure. In one section of pavement used as an outdoor storage area, many unlabeled totes and drums were precariously stacked on top of others without the support of pallets and dangerously leaning over. Some stacks were leaning, and others had fallen over with puddles of chemicals on the ground nearby. None of the containers were labeled, except for one with the word “Bad” written on it.

In one warehouse, a 55-gallon drum of oil was roped off with red caution tape bearing the word “Danger.” The drum was sitting on a crushed wooden pallet next to sealed pallets of brake fluid.

Also inside of that warehouse was evidence of other spilled chemicals on the floor underneath totes and bulging containers. One tote contained an industrial form of concentrated hydrogen peroxide, a volatile chemical that can cause skin burns and explode under certain conditions.

Inspectors were unable to fully examine one storage area because its access points were blocked by a grease spill approximately 3 inches thick and spanning about 100 square feet, according to the EPA report.

EPA Inspection Report PDF