State, local teams try to prevent another explosion
Paul Leighton
DANVERS | A team of state inspectors formed in the wake of last year's Danversport explosion found two chemical plants that posed "immediate hazards," including a plant in Springfield that would have required residents within 1.2 miles to be evacuated if it had exploded.
State officials announced the results yesterday, along with a series of recommendations designed to fill a huge gap in the oversight of chemical plants such as the one that exploded in Danversport last year.
State Fire Marshal Stephen Coan said legislation will soon be filed that would require chemical plants to enroll in a safety certification program. That program would be overseen by a new Division of Chemical Inspection in the fire marshal's office.
Yesterday's announcements came just two days before the anniversary of the Danversport explosion. The shocking blast is spurring changes to prevent a reoccurrence in Danvers or a similar accident somewhere else, but it is a slow and sometimes painful process.
"I feel as though a lot of progress has been made since Nov. 23," said Susan Tropeano, a member of the SAFE neighborhood group that formed after the explosion. "However, it is daunting how long it takes to do these things."
The explosion exposed the lack of oversight of smaller businesses that work with hazardous chemicals. Two of the agencies that oversee regulations | the state fire marshal's office and the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration | had never inspected the plant. And, despite a state law that calls for an annual inspection, the Danvers Fire Department had not been inside the building since 2002 | and that was not to inspect, but to consult on installing a new fire suppression system.
The state responded to demands for more oversight by creating a new inspection program last May. The Safe Neighborhoods Initiative, as it is called, teamed inspectors from the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection with the state fire marshal's office and local fire departments.
Michael Gorski of the DEP, the team leader, said inspectors visited 41 facilities across the state and found two | one in Springfield and one in Lawrence | that posed "immediate hazard situations."
The two plants voluntarily shut down and immediately fixed the problems, Gorski said.
Gorski said there were "a number of deficiencies" in the other 39 plants, but none that was an immediate threat. State officials would not name the plants.
The state inspection team also visited plants in Danvers and Beverly, according to the fire chiefs in those communities. Danvers Chief James Tutko said a team of about 15 people spent six hours inspecting Devcon, an adhesives manufacturer on Endicott Street, on Aug. 23 and found only minor problems.
The team also came to Beverly in September to inspect Symmetricom, a communications equipment manufacturer on Tozer Road, and found no major problems, according to Beverly fire Chief Richard Pierce.
Pierce said the state inspection team provided expertise in chemical storage and handling that his department does not have.
"I'd like to see that expanded," he said. "It gives help to my inspectors on what to look for."
Still no annual inspections
Still, the 41 inspections constitute a fraction of the estimated 15,000 small and midsize handlers of hazardous chemicals throughout the state. And local fire chiefs say their inspectors don't have the time or training to inspect hazardous chemicals every year.
Even in Danvers, the Fire Department has still not visited the 35 businesses that have permits to store hazardous waste. Earlier this month, Tutko announced a plan to inspect those businesses starting March 1.
Tutko said it has taken more than a year to begin the inspections because, "we wanted to come up with a comprehensive program. It's something we've been discussing for a couple of months and looking at the most practical way of doing it."
Gorski said yesterday the state plans to hold workshops for local firefighters, building inspectors and health officials to review the lessons learned by the state inspection team.
In Danvers, residents are also trying to prevent another chemical plant from being rebuilt on the same site by changing the zoning laws. A zoning change would not bar CAI and Arnel from rebuilding there because those businesses are grandfathered. But if the land were sold, the new owner would be subject to the new zoning.
"I think CAI would not rebuild," said Ann Marie Ruotolo, who lives near the site and has been active in trying to change the zoning. "But suppose they sell the lot and another chemical plant wants to come in? Right now we're vulnerable. We're extremely vulnerable. There's not enough hustle here."
The SAFE neighborhood group has also asked selectmen to create a Danvers Hazardous Material Safety Board, consisting of residents, business owners and town officials, to review permits and licenses for storing hazardous material.
Until the Danversport blast, companies could renew certificates to store flammable materials by filling out a form and paying an annual fee, with no inspection required. When CAI's certificate was automatically renewed several months after the blast, it triggered an outcry in the neighborhood | and it was later revoked.
The proposal for the new review board is still under consideration.
Tropeano, of SAFE, said progress has been slow over the last year. But with perseverance, she said, Danvers can serve as a model for the rest of the state when it comes to protecting communities from the dangers of hazardous materials.
"It's understandable (that it takes so long)," she said. "It's not because everybody's not trying. We're dealing with this on a daily basis."
Are we safer?
What's new
* Inspections: A new state inspection team has examined 41 chemical plants throughout the state since May. Now the team plans to target drinking water and wastewater treatment plants that use chlorine gas.
What's proposed
* Training: State Rep. Ted Speliotis of Danvers has filed legislation requiring that a fire inspector in each local department receive training in chemical inspections. The bill is still in committee.
* Safety certification: State Fire Marshal Stephen Coan said legislation will soon be filed that would require chemical plants to enroll in a safety certification program. The legislation would also create a new Division of Chemical Inspection in the state fire marshal's office to oversee the certification program.
* Storage permits: State officials are proposing the formation of a task force to recommend changes in the licensing and permitting of chemical plants. The task force would report directly to the governor.
In Danvers, a neighborhood group has asked selectmen to create a Danvers Hazardous Material Safety Board, consisting of residents, business owners and town officials, to review permits and licenses for storing hazardous material. The proposal is under review.
* Zoning: Neighbors have proposed changing zoning in Danversport to prevent a chemical plant from being rebuilt on the site. Still pending.
What has not changed
* Annual inspections. Fire departments in Danvers, Beverly, Salem and other communities are still not conducting annual inspections, required by law, of businesses with permits to store hazardous chemicals. Danvers plans to begin inspecting businesses in March.
Comments from users with registered accounts will post at once. Comments from unregistered accounts will post after being reviewed by a site moderator. Posts that do not meet site standards, which can be found here, will be removed.
