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EPA AND HUDSON, N.H., METAL MANUFACTURER SIGN CONSENT AGREEMENT

Release Date: 10/01/1999
Contact Information: Amy Miller, EPA Press Office (617-918-1042)

BOSTON - In an agreement with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, a Hudson, N.H., metal fabricator has agreed to pay $82,5000 for 12 counts of violating hazardous waste laws.

In a complaint filed in April, EPA-New England charged APW Enclosure Systems, formerly known as Premier Industries, with violations that included treating hazardous waste without a permit, failing to train employees in hazardous waste management and failing to properly label containers holding hazardous waste, as required by EPA's Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA).

The action stems from an EPA February 1998 inspection of APW's Hudson facility on Executive Drive, where the company makes metal protective shells for computers and metal covers for baseboard heaters, among other things.

The most serious violation was APW's failure to get a permit to treat hazardous waste.

"Federal regulations regarding management and treatment of hazardous waste help ensure the safety of workers and protect the environment," said John P. DeVillars, EPA's New England Administrator. "This settlement should serve as a warning to companies managing and treating hazardous waste. It is important that they get permits, train employees and properly analyze the content of waste."

APW's failure to train employees in 1995, 1996 and 1997 increased the potential for hazardous waste mismanagement, while its failure to properly analyze the content of its waste increased the risk of exposure.

Since the inspection, the N.H. Department of Environmental Services reported that the facility has renewed its permit to operate the two evaporation units it uses to treat hazardous waste.