The Washington State Department of Labor & Industries (L&I) cited Nippon Dynawave, a pulp and paper mill in Longview, for failing to document safety inspection plans for an ammonia tank used in wastewater treatment.
The investigation began on March 4 after a worker reported a broken valve handle on an aqua ammonia clarifier tank. Repairs were already underway at the time of the inspection and posed no immediate safety risk because workers are not regularly stationed at the wastewater treatment area. However, facility managers could not provide documentation of required inspections and did not have a formal inspection and maintenance program for the tank and associated equipment.
L&I issued two violations: one for failing to develop an inspection program and one for failing to maintain records. The total penalty is $2,890. Nippon Dynawave has 15 days to appeal from the citation date.
This investigation is separate from an ongoing L&I investigation into a May 26 fatal tank failure at the same location. An additional investigation into a May 6 drain failure that caused a sinkhole is also ongoing.