Pacoima : Chemical Company Fined for Safety Lapse

A Los Angeles Municipal Court judge fined a Pacoima plating and chemical processing company $1,000 after a company official pleaded no contest to violating a state safety law regulating the transportation of hazardous materials, authorities said.

Holchem Inc., located at 13546 Desmond St., was also placed on a year’s probation Wednesday for failing to maintain legally required shipping documents, Deputy City Atty. Rubin Harsoyo said.

After a routine stop in Pacoima early last year, an officer with the Los Angeles Police Department’s Environmental Crimes Unit inspected a Holchem truck carrying 55 gallons of naphtha, a highly flammable liquid, Harsoyo said. During the inspection, the officer discovered that the truck’s shipping papers did not properly identify the material, he said.

In the event of an accident, Harsoyo said, it is important to know exactly what chemicals trucks are carrying so that emergency crews will know how to deal with hazardous situations.