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EPA FINES BELMONT CERAMICS COMPANY $104,000

Release Date: 10/10/2000
Contact Information: Leo Kay, U.S. EPA, (415)-744-2201

     SAN FRANCISCO   The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency fined Belmont, Calif.-based Wesgo Ceramics $104,697 last week for violating numerous provisions of the country's major waste handling statute, the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act.

     The settlement includes the following alleged violations of California's hazardous waste management program:

              Storage of hazardous waste without a permit and failure to properly     label containers;
         
       Failure to close containers of hazardous waste;
         
       Failure to maintain adequate aisle space between containers of hazardous waste;
         
       Failure to properly maintain the facility's contingency plan; and
         
              Failure to maintain job descriptions, training requirements and training documentation in the facility's records.

     "This settlement will result in a number of measures that will translate into a safer facility for workers and the surrounding community," said Jeff Scott, acting director of the EPA's Waste Division in San Francisco.  "When it comes to working with hazardous waste, preventative maintenance goes a long way in making sure accidents don't happen in the first place."

     Wesgo employs 140 people at its facility on 477 Harbor Blvd. in Belmont in manufacturing various types of technical ceramics products used in high-tech industries.  Employees at the company store and use various hazardous compounds, including metals, solvents and petroleum products.

     EPA inspectors discovered the violations during a routine inspection of the facility last December.