Lancaster-city based rubber recycling company Ecore International faces nearly $300,000 in penalties following a federal inspection of its plant in Texas and has settled claims stemming from a similar inspection of an Alabama plant for about $11,000
An inspection of the Texas plant discovered 16 serious safety and health violations at that site alone.
Occupational Safety and Health Administration recently issued citations based on a Jan. 9 inspection report of the Texas site. The citations of the Texas facility were announced Monday.
The Jan. 9 report said OSHA investigators discovered the company made employees in Mexia, Texas, stand on a forklift’s elevated tines to reach work areas; failed to prevent small fires fueled by improper buildup of combustible dust and permitted potentially explosive atmospheres to exist; lacked safe areas for welding; exposed employees to slip, trip and fall hazards; allowed untrained workers to operate forklifts; and failed to ensure machines had required safety guards.
Ecore is one of the nation’s largest manufacturers of commercial flooring and surfaces — including recycled rubber products used throughout the nation in playgrounds, fitness centers and sports fields. It purchased the Mexia facility in April 2023 for an undisclosed price. The facility, known as 360 Tire Recycling, supplies raw materials for its reclaimed rubber products.
About 14 people work at the Mexia plant, according to Deb Lechner, Ecore’s chief marketing officer. Ecore employs about 305 at its Fountain Avenue headquarters.
On July 2, OSHA issued Ecore International citations for one willful violation and 15 serious violations. The company faces $299,591 in proposed penalties. The company has 15 business days from receipt of the citations to comply, request an informal conference with OSHA’s area director, or contest the findings before the independent Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission.
According to OSHA records there is an open investigation into Ecore’s York plant. Details were not released.
Ecore responds
In an email to LNP | LancasterOnline, Lechner did not say what the company would do next. She said the company’s commitment to safety of its employees is equaled only by its commitment to safety of its products.
“The recent OSHA citations are the first in the company’s more than 150-year history, and the majority were addressed and resolved to that agency’s satisfaction in a matter of weeks,” Lechner wrote. “While we disagree with the characterization of the remaining claims, Ecore remains focused on collaboratively working with the appropriate regulatory bodies to resolve them and continuously improving safety protocols in alignment with our culture and core values.”
A separate OSHA investigation at a new Ecore facility in Ozark, Alabama, found similar machine guard hazards unchecked and employees exposed to potential electrocution and amputation dangers. That case was closed in June and an informal settlement was reached, according to OSHA records. Records indicate the penalty was reduced from $16,131 to $11,292. Lechner said 61 people work at that facility, a $25 million facility that recently opened.
“Ecore International must extend the innovation it credits for its company’s success to the safety and health of the people who help make and sell its products,” said OSHA Area Director Monica Camacho in Austin, Texas, in a written statement Monday. “A successful enterprise like Ecore International has the resources to establish and follow a comprehensive safety and health program and to address hazards proactively before disaster strikes.”
Ecore annually recycles more than 100 million pounds of ground tires and rubber waste into products like flooring, playgrounds and athletic fields. It has been growing through acquisitions lately.
In December Ecore acquired Ameritread Remanufactured Tires, which operates a tire reselling business as Truck Stop Supply Company LLC in Newville, Cumberland County, with 17 employees. The price was not disclosed.
Art Dodge, CEO of Ecore International
Ecore traces its roots to Dodge Cork and is still led by the Dodge family. Ecore got its start in 1989 as Dodge-Regupol, a company formed by Dodge Cork and German partners. Ecore consists of the ECOsurfaces, Surface America, A-Turf and SpectraTurf companies, serving customers in more than 75 countries in the healthcare, hospitality, education, retail, wellness, sports and fitness industries.
Ecore’s U.S. customers include daycare centers, dance studios, high schools and universities in Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Maine, Maryland, Nevada, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia and Washington, D.C.
CHAD UMBLE | Staff Writer
