Published: 11/29/2006
Day 6: Plant's last inspection was 2002
By Tom DaltonStaff writer
DANVERS - The chemical plant that exploded last Wednesday had not been inspected by the Fire Department since 2002, according to records released yesterday.
Town fire officials said they try to inspect industrial and commercial buildings every year, but those inspections are not mandated and they often don't have the personnel to get to every building.
Chemical plants and other industrial buildings are not top priorities, they said, like schools, hotels and public gathering places, where annual inspections are required by state law.
"The priorities to us are the ones that present the greatest life-safety hazard," Deputy fire Chief Kevin Farrell said.
Farrell said the department had no indication the chemical plant was a trouble spot. The two companies formerly at 126 Water St., CAI Inc., an ink manufacturer, and Arnel Co., a paint manufacturer, had good records and complied with state filings. CAI, for example, voluntarily upgraded its sprinkler system from water to foam five years ago.
"There's nothing that sent up a red flag," Farrell said.
Even if the Fire Department had inspected the plant more recently, officials said the inspection would have been limited to items like fire exits, emergency lights and emergency shutoff valves - not the storage of dangerous chemicals.
"We're not chemists," Farrell said.
The deputy chief said he was not aware of any recent inspections by state agencies. He also said he could not recall, and had not found any records of, trips to the plant by Danvers police or fire personnel for emergencies or incidents of any kind.
"I can't remember the last time I've been down there for an alarm activation or even a medical emergency," Farrell said.
Similarly, the state Department of Environmental Protection, which oversees hazardous emissions and wastes, said yesterday it has no record of visiting the Danvers site. It also has never had a complaint about the two companies, according to Ed Coletta, a DEP spokesman.
A chemical plant has been at that site since the late 1970s, according to the file. The business at that address in 1977 is listed as Danvers Chemical Industries Inc.
This facility is one of 15,000 in the state that produce only a small amount of hazardous waste. Of those, only 100 to 200 are inspected annually, Coletta said.
"We concentrate on the large-quantity generators," he said.
