SHIRLEY — A Mitrano Removal Services vehicle spilled approximately 30 gallons of hydraulic oil during work at the Bromfield School in Harvard last May, resulting in a $38,480 penalty, the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection said in a news release.
The accident occurred at 6 a.m. on May 22, 2017, when a hydraulic line on the company truck ruptured and released oil to the school parking lot, and the oil flowed into a nearby catch basin. The truck driver drove the leaking truck back to the company office in Shirley without informing school officials or MassDEP, as required by law. A concerned citizen called the Harvard Fire Department approximately two hours later upon noticing the spill. MassDEP contacted the company after an investigation by the fire department identified them as the source of the oil release, and a contractor was hired to perform the cleanup.
In a consent order finalized with the company, MassDEP required that they provide training to employees concerning the notification and response action requirements in Massachusetts, sign a contract with an on-call cleanup contractor to ensure future compliance and rapid response, and pay the assessed penalty in full.
“Companies using commercial vehicles and heavy equipment must be aware of the requirements to notify MassDEP of hydraulic oil spills and take immediate action to clean them up,” said Mary Jude Pigsley, director of MassDEP’s Central Regional Office in Worcester. “Providing training for drivers and operators will emphasize the importance of prompt reporting when a spill does occur.”
