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Company's Safety Record Questioned In Garland Fire

GARLAND (CBSDFW.COM) - Just hours after a fire broke out at a Garland chemical plant, federal and state investigators started looking to see if there were any violations at the facility that contributed to the explosion and fire.

Records obtained by CBSDFW from the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality show that the plant was cited 4 times in 2011 for minor infractions ranging from how the company was handling industrial waste to lack of training and inspections.

  • Failure to prevent unauthorized discharge of industrial & hazardous wastes
  • Failure to update the notice of registration to reflect current active container
  • Failure to conduct all required training annually
  • Failure to conduct all required weekly inspections of the facility's security equipment

>>Click Here to read the full TCEQ report<<

Nexeo Solutions is based in The Woodlands, 25 miles north of downtown Houston.  The company was fined $7,000 by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration in October 2011 for an incident at a plant in Massachusetts.

OSHA said Nexeo's employees were "exposed to fire hazards due to improper storage of organic peroxides near flammable liquids and other combustible material."  The company and government agency ultimately settled on $4,500 for the fine.

>>Click Here to read the full OSHA report<<

Nexeo bought the Garland plant in April 2011.  A company spokeswoman told CBSDFW Friday night Nexeo Solutions  "takes corrective action on any notices of violation."

She said Nexeo takes safety very seriously, and that after the citation, the company took corrective actions to ensure it met OSHA regulations.

The company says it took corrective action on problems cited here, and say they're working with all agencies involved.

The cause of the fire remains under investigation.

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