North Woods fined for spill
PITTSFIELD – The Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (MassDEP) has assessed a penalty of $2,000 to North Woods Contracting, Inc. of South Portland, Maine, for violating state regulations following a spill of hydraulic fluid at the Verizon facility located at 1899 East St.
“Prompt notification to MassDEP ensures that all proper steps are taken to immediately and completely address a release to the environment,” said Michael Gorski, director of MassDEP’s Western Regional Office in Springfield. “We appreciate that North Woods arranged for prompt cleanup of the spill and will be re-training its employees on spill response to prevent this type of violation from occurring in the future.”
On May 29, 2012 at about 7:30 a.m., a spill of an estimated 20 gallons of hydraulic fluid occurred when a hydraulic hose ruptured on a truck-mounted crane loading telephone poles at the Verizon facility. The hydraulic fluid impacted paved surfaces in the vicinity of the crane.
North Woods personnel took steps to control the spill and retained contractor assistance in cleaning it up. A North Woods representative reported the spill to MassDEP that day at 1 p.m.
State regulations require MassDEP be notified as soon as possible, but in no case greater than two hours after the responsible party became aware of a spill of greater than 10 gallons.
North Woods appropriately performed a complete cleanup of the spill and submitted cleanup documentation to MassDEP. To resolve the outstanding violation, North Woods entered into a consent order with MassDEP.
The company has agreed to re-train its personnel regarding response to spills of oil and hazardous materials that occur from its equipment and vehicles at locations in Massachusetts.
In addition, North Woods has agreed to pay the penalty of $2,000.
Posted by Kameron Z. Spaulding
on January 17, 2013. Filed under Community News,News.
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