Settlement Ensures Better Protection for Community of Cranston, Rhode Island

BOSTON - The community around a Cranston, R.I. freight service center that stores damaged containers of products that may contain hazardous chemicals will be safer as the result of a settlement between the company and the E.P.A..

Con-way Freight has agreed to pay a penalty of $42,900 to settle E.P.A. claims that it allegedly violated hazardous waste laws at its facility at 15 Southern Industrial Road in Cranston. E.P.A. alleged that Con-way Freight failed to follow inspection, record-keeping, labeling and training requirements, in violation of the federal Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA), as well as federally-authorized state hazardous waste regulations.

"Carefully following measures outlined in the federal hazardous waste law helps insure that the public and the environment are not harmed by dangerous chemicals," said Curt Spalding, regional administrator of EPA's New England office. "This arrangement brings this company into compliance with the law and brings the community an added measure of safety."

Con-way stores containers of products that have been damaged during transit. Some of these containers may end up holding hazardous wastes when damaged goods that contain hazardous materials are stored for disposal. These containers must then be managed in a manner that prevents the wastes from being released to the environment.

This case stems from an E.P.A. inspection of the facility during which E.P.A. learned the facility had allegedly failed to comply with RCRA requirements, including: performing weekly inspections of hazardous waste containers and maintaining records of these inspections; having a hazardous waste contingency project for the facility; providing hazardous waste management training for some employees; maintaining the required documents and records for hazardous waste management training; and properly labeling or marking hazardous waste containers.

Con-way has since corrected its alleged violations.

More info on proper handling of hazardous waste: http://www2.epa.gov/compliance/resource-conservation-and-recovery-act-rcra-compliance-monitoring

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