duct taped hazardous waste plant explodes

[Algorem]

http://www.freetimes.com/modules.php?op=modload&name=News&file=article&sid=3337&mode=thread&order=0&thold=0

Chatter: We Hate To Say We Told You So … Ok, Actually We Love It. But Sometimes It Sucks Being Right.

In January, we reported on General Environmental Management's, shall we say, unorthodox approach to maintenance ("Smell You Later: A hazardous waste company fixes leaks with duct tape. What could possibly go wrong?"). Last Thursday, we got the answer.

At about 12:15 p.m., a massive explosion rocked the industrial valley site of GEM, sending a large metal tank 40 feet into the air. Several workers were sent to the hospital, their skin burned and blackened. It took this life-threatening accident for Mayor Frank Jackson to finally close a factory he should have known was a ticking time bomb.

Residents had complained for years about GEM. Those who worked near the factory claimed a piney, vomit-like smell wafting up from GEM was making them sick. Employees at Tri-C and the Lottery Commission told the Cleveland Division of Air Quality that they suffered from headaches after exposure to this toxic gas. Sometimes, it made their arms tingle.

But the CDAQ continued to ignore the problem. When gaping holes were discovered in tanks GEM used to treat poisonous waste, the company was allowed to patch up the leaks with duct tape. Richard Nemeth, who handled the case for the CDAQ, said at the time, "If it closes the hole up, that may be adequate at that time. We're not going to try to tell any facility how to maintain their equipment. We're close to a final understanding. We're optimistic that we'll see positive results come spring."...

[YankeyMCC]

1. It can't be so!?

Duct Tape fail?!? :wtf:

[Dead_Parrot]

7. Must have been a cheap imported brand

Real duct tape never fails. :)

[Options Remain]

2. well its spring and there are your "positive results"

and I know explosions are cool but we can do them easier and safer with fireworks.

[tanyev]

3. See, that's why we need tort reform.

:sarcasm:

[hunter]

4. Yes. Next thing you know workers will be suing the plant operators...

... and we all know that would be bad for the U.S. economy. We must remain competitive with China, and you don't see workers getting multi-million dollar settlements there, do you?

[JohnWxy]

5. I liked this part too:

"GEM was also polluting the water while poisoning the air. The city knew about this, too. Since January 2004, officials at Northeast Ohio Regional Sewer District had repeatedly cited GEM for releasing high levels of toxins into the city's sewers. These toxins included arsenic, chromium and ammonia.

Investigators from the Cleveland Fire Department determined that a smaller explosion at GEM in January 2005 that destroyed a 50,000-gallon oil tank was the result of human error. Further inspections found pools of sludge collecting behind GEM's chemistry lab. Still, no one shut the place down."

[leftyladyfrommo]

6. Duct Tape is Good Even in a Nuclear Explosion!

It will hold whole houses together in a tornado. It can keep damage down to a minimum in a hurricane.

This can't be a true story.