Fall, 1997
Romic Admits to Serious Violations
by Eric Huong
Thanks to strong community action, at the hearing held during the week of July 28, Romic, the recalcitrant toxic waste processor, finally admitted to violating health and safety regulations concerning 21 violations cited by Cal/OSHA at its headquarters in East Palo Alto.
Intel, Xerox, HP, National Semiconductor, Chevron, UNOCAL, and many others entrust their toxic wastes to Romic, sending 13 million pounds to East Palo Alto in 1995 alone! Romic has allowed toxics to pollute the air, the soil, the Bay, and the groundwater. 40% of Romic's wastes are shipped to cement kilns in the Central Valley for burning, generating enormous amount of dioxin.
Romic is making its profit by sacrificing the health and safety of workers and nearby residents.
In February 1995 Rodrigo Cruz suffered permanent brain damage while shoveling toxic wastes inside a railcar at Romic's Redwood City transfer station. Cal/OSHA's investigation revealed that his air system had repeated carbon monoxide problems, which the managers were aware of but did not tell Mr. Cruz about. In four inspections at the East Palo Alto and Redwood City facilities, Cal/OSHA cited 37 violations. Poor ventilation systems force residents and workers alike to breath toxic fumes. Workers have to fight toxic fires burning unidentified chemicals and clean up spills from unlabeled pipelines without proper protection and training. Lack of emergency response plans is one reason why emergencies can become catastrophes for fenceline communities.
Santa Clara Center for Occupational Safety and Health (SCCOSH) and Workers Acting Together for Change (WATCH) started the Justice for Rodrigo Cruz Campaign after helping Mr. Cruz and later other injured Romic workers. Ujima Security Council, an environmental justice group in East Palo Alto and ever vigilant of the community impact of Romic, joined us to demand health and safety for both workers and local residents.
After the violations were cited, Romic denied each and every citation, trying to pressure Cal/OSHA to withdraw charges. It was public support that forced OSHA to proceed, brought the media attention, and forced Romic to withdraw its appeal and admit to 21 violations.
Romic's admission confirmed the fears of workers and residents. Even after a major tragedy, Romic was still not complying with environmental and health and safety regulations. The next OSHA hearing will be on the violations concerning Rodrigo Cruz and is scheduled for November 10, 1997. Please join us at the hearing.
In addition, the Justice for Rodrigo Cruz campaign is bringing Romic under the scrutiny of environmental regulators and in many cases forcing the agencies to do their job. Department of Toxic Substance Control and Bay Area Air Quality Management District are looking into Romic's failure to control air pollution in East Palo Alto and Redwood City, allowing chemicals known to cause cancers and birth defects directly into the air.
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