SPRINGFIELD, Mass. -- True Blue Environmental Services, a Wallingford, Conn., environmental remediation company, faces a total of $95,750 in proposed fines from the U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) for allegedly failing to protect employees against hazards at jobsites in Northampton, Mass., and Danbury, Conn.

The bulk of the hazards were at the former Northampton Manufactured Gas Plant in Northampton. OSHA found that True Blue supervisors and employees removing coal tar from contaminated soil at that location had neither received the required training nor been certified to safely perform their duties.

Additional hazards included: employees overexposed to benzene, a hazardous substance contained in the coal tar, and inadequate controls to reduce their exposure levels; no initial air monitoring to determine exposure levels; no detailed evaluation of the site to identify hazards and necessary protective measures; no onsite safety and health supervisor; respirator deficiencies; and failure to record all workplace injuries.

"OSHA's safety and health requirements for hazardous waste cleanup are detailed and stringent because of the highly hazardous nature of this work," said Mary Hoye, OSHA's area director in Springfield. "It is imperative that employers provide and document proper and effective training to ensure that employees can perform their duties correctly and safely."