Explosion results in $18K fine for General Iron

Explosion results in K fine for General Iron
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Reserve Management Group (RMG), the owner of General Iron Industries LLC on Chicago’s North Side, has agreed to pay an $18,000 fine and to repair equipment intended to prevent explosions and stop pollution, according to an article in the Chicago Tribune. As part of the legal settlement, Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s aides cleared General Iron of wrongdoing in the May explosion and for pollution observed in late 2019 and early 2020. The settlement also calls for improvements to General Iron’s operation that are estimated by city officials to cost $307,000.

The Chicago Tribune reports that a portion of the fines the city assessed will be spent on two air quality monitors designed to measure odors.

According to an Aug. 3 presentation on General Iron prepared by the Chicago Department of Public Health (CDPH) delivered during a Community Town Hall, in the last year, CDPH has conducted more than 50 routine inspections at General Iron as well as more than 60 inspections in response to 311 complaints. From December 2019 to March 2020, 11 complaint-response inspections resulted in citations for odors, dust and off-site fibers. General Iron has added misters for dust and auto fluff suppression and netting to contain auto fluff in response to the citations, the CDPH presentation notes.

According to the investigation into the May 18 explosion at General Iron, the CDPH says the fire and explosion started in the regenerative thermal oxidizer (RTO), which is designed to control emissions from the company’s automobile shredder, with flames also having been observed near the baghouse. While the fire self-extinguished quickly, the explosion damaged the RTO, a fan and the fabric filter. It is most likely that the fuel source for the fire was introduced into shredder, according to the presentation, which notes that an ignition and oxidant source needed for an explosion typically are present in the RTO.

The presentation notes that General Iron added a new combustible gas monitor in the hood of the shredder, which triggers a valve if combustible gas is present, stopping the conveyor belt feeding the shredder. A new diverter valve is designed to vent combustible gas if it is detected. “This is a highly reliable mechanical control that will prevent explosions in the future,” according to the presentation.

RMG, with corporate offices in Stow, Ohio, and Chicago, plans to shut down General Iron’s North Side location at the end of this year, relocating the shredder to a facility it already owns on the Southeast Side in a neighborhood that the Chicago Tribune describes as low-income and mostly Latino. The company has yet to apply for the final permit needed for the new location. However, the move has been met with opposition from environmental justice advocates.

The Chicago Tribune published a commentary from Steve Joseph, CEO of RMG, regarding the relocation of the shredder Oct. 29. Joseph writes, “General Iron is closing, not relocating.”

He continues, “Last year, RMG purchased the assets of General Iron with the knowledge that its long run on Chicago’s North Side was nearing an end. We believed then—and still believe now—that our property is the best location in Chicago to operate a new metal shredding business.”

Joseph writes, “Almost nothing about our expanded facility resembles General Iron,” adding that the shredder will be enclosed and away from public view and that the site is 2,500 feet from the nearest public right of way. “On top of its seclusion, the site is ideally situated for metals recycling in an underutilized planned manufacturing district that has excellent truck, rail and barge access."

He continues, “Our expansion is guided by the longtime zoning of our land, the separation from our neighbors and the existence of necessary infrastructure. The racial, ethnic and income demographics of the East Side and other nearby neighborhoods played no role in our considerations. Our significant investment in this project will bring with it hundreds of construction and permanent jobs to our local community on the Southeast Side.”

Joseph writes that while RMG has attempted to put environmental concerns to rest by outlining the details of this project, offering to meet with community stakeholders and environmental groups, they have not been interested. "After 30 years in this business, it is baffling that I am now defending recycling to environmentalists."

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Source: Recycling Today
Explosion results in K fine for General Iron
<![CDATA[Reserve Management Group (RMG), the owner of General Iron Industries LLC on Chicago’s North Side, has agreed to pay an $18,000 fine and to repair equipment intended to prevent explosions and stop pollution, according to an article in the Chicago Tribune. As part of the legal settlement, Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s aides cleared General Iron of wrongdoing in the May explosion and for pollution observed in late 2019 and early 2020. The settlement also calls for improvements to General Iron’s operation that are estimated by city officials to cost $307,000.The Chicago Tribune reports that a portion of the fines the city assessed will be spent on two air quality monitors designed to measure odors.According to an Aug. 3 presentation on General Iron prepared by the Chicago Department of Public Health (CDPH) delivered during a Community Town Hall, in the last year, CDPH has conducted more than 50 routine inspections at General Iron as well as more than 60 inspections in response to 311 complaints. From December 2019 to March 2020, 11 complaint-response inspections resulted in citations for odors, dust and off-site fibers. General Iron has added misters for dust and auto fluff suppression and netting to contain auto fluff in…