‘Improperly stored’ pool chemicals reacted with water to release chlorine
The US federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration (Osha) has fined pool and spa chemicals producer BioLab nearly $61,500 for safety violations that led to an incident at its plant in Georgia in September 2024.
Osha’s investigation concluded that ‘improperly stored hazardous chemicals’ caused the incident. Water from sprinklers – activated by a rooftop fire – reacted with trichloroisocyanuric acid (TCCA) stored inside the warehouse, releasing a plume of smoke containing chlorine, chloramines and chlorine compounds that persisted for several days, forcing about 17,000 residents to be evacuated and 90,000 to shelter in place.
Osha cited BioLab for ‘four serious and two other-than-serious violations’. The company can now comply or contest the findings and proposed fines.
A separate investigation by the US Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board is ongoing. The BioLab facility remains partially closed since the incident, and in February the company reportedly offered employees voluntary redundancy.
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