4
Mid Hudson Times, Wednesday, November 29, 2017
State investigating in wake of New
Windsor cosmetics plant fire
The Verla International cosmetics plant a week after a deadly fire that killed one employee.
Continued from page 1
six to eight hours, the fire chief explained. “They dealt
with a wide range of chemicals,” he said, as the facility
uses various chemicals to make cosmetics and perfumes.
“There was concern over exposure.”
The Orange County Office of Emergency Management
advised neighbors to keep their windows closed, issuing
a shelter-in-place directive for nearby residents and
schools.
The New York State Department of Environmental
Conservation was on the scene to perform air-quality
monitoring and testing of runoff water, Sweeney said.
“At the time, they said there was no issues with the
runoff to the water supply,” the fire chief said.
Sweeney said the fire was extinguished with fire foam
that did not contain the chemical PFOS, found to have
contaminated the City of Newburgh water supply at
Washington Lake last year.
“We used a state foam system,” Sweeney said.
It is possible the explosion was caused by faulty
machinery, mechanical problems or simply due to
human error, Sweeney said. He said he was unsure when
the county Division of Fire Services would issue its final
report on the fire.
“The whole thing was a terrible tragedy,” Town of
New Windsor Supervisor George Green said Monday.
“We’re making every effort we can to make sure that side
of the building is reopened.”
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More than 200 people are employed at the facility, he
said. “We just want to see those employees back to work,”
Green said “It’s a terrible time of year to have to have
that many employees out of work.”
Central Hudson Gas and Electric Corp. was at the
facility to restore service Monday, said Green, and water
service had already been restored to the building.
The company has been cited for dozens of safety
violations by the federal Occupational Safety and Health
Administration in recent years. Most were classified
as “serious,” involving flammable and combustible
liquids, availability of first aid, and face and respiratory
protections. The current violations have resulted in fines
of more than $40,000. According to the Verla International
website, the company has been in business since 1980.
Governor Andrew Cuomo said an investigation into
overall compliance at Verla International will be led by
the DEC, the Department of Labor and the Department
of State.
“Worker safety and environmental protection are top
priorities and if there was any misconduct or negligence
that led to this incident, we will use the full force of the
law to hold the company accountable,” Cuomo said in a
statement last week.
More than 100 firefighters from various fire
departments responded to the scene, including crews
from Vails Gate, City of Newburgh, Cornwall-on-Hudson,
New Windsor, Goodwill, Coldenham and Salisbury Mills.
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OPEN HOUSE
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Newburgh Library to host
human rights day event
The City of Newburgh Human Rights Commission
will observe its first Annual Human Rights Day
on Sun., Dec. 10 at 2:30 p.m., with an event at the
Newburgh Free Library (124 Grand Street).
The two-hour event will officially launch the
re-activation of the City of Newburgh Human Rights
Commission, and will celebrate the upcoming 70th
anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human
Rights.
On Dec. 10, 1948, the United Nations General
Assembly adopted the Universal Declaration of
Human Rights, and every year, Human Rights Day
is observed on this day. The Universal Declaration
of Human Rights proclaims “the inalienable rights
which everyone is inherently entitled to as a human
being – regardless of race, color, religion, sex,
language, political or other opinion, national or
social origin, property, birth or other status.”
“We are delighted to re-activate the Human
Rights Commission in Newburgh and have a
lovely afternoon planned for everyone to stand up
for someone’s rights and reaffirm our common
humanity!” said Ramona Burton, Chair of the
Commission.
Pre-registration for the Human Rights Day event
is required; contact Ramona Burton at rburton916@
gmail.com, or call 845-565-7472.
Habitat to dedicate 90th house
On Friday, December 1, Habi