Chemical plant near Rotterdam partly closed on safety concerns

Government inspectors have closed down part of the Organik Kimya chemicals plant on the Botlek industrial park near Rotterdam because it cannot guarantee safety in its control room.


An unannounced night inspection on November 9 found shortcomings in safety standards and polluted water being discharged without proper supervision. The inspectors also found problems with labelling dangerous substances, Nos television said.
Most problematic was the situation in the company’s control room, where workers would be put at serious risk if there was an incident involving dangerous chemicals.
Organik Kimya was already on a list of potential problem companies following the fire at the Chemie-Pack chemicals packaging company in nearby Moerdijk in January 2011, Nos said.
The company, headquartered in Istanbul, makes polymers and also has operations in Switzerland, according to its website.
Earlier stories
MPs want action on chemical sector supervision
Failing chemical firms rarely closed down, says AD

Thank you for donating to DutchNews.nl.

We could not provide the Dutch News service, and keep it free of charge, without the generous support of our readers. Your donations allow us to report on issues you tell us matter, and provide you with a summary of the most important Dutch news each day.

Make a donation