ATLANTA — Sumter Coatings Inc. (SCI) agreed to pay a $55,000 civil penalty as part of a settlement with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for a series of hazardous waste violations at its facility in Sumter, SC. As part of the settlement, SCI agreed to develop a personnel training program, develop a schedule for implementation of the training program and identify facility employees that require training. 

SCI manufactures paints and coatings primarily for the steel and farm-implement industry. SCI also blends raw materials onsite to create custom coatings. The violations were observed during April 2010, when inspectors from the EPA and the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control performed a Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) Compliance Evaluation Inspection. 

SCI implemented the process changes to reduce the risk of release from hazardous waste containers. The changes include labeling all containers with the necessary information, reducing the number of locations where short-term storage occurs, changing container sizing and completing all necessary waste determinations. SCI also applied a non-porous sealant to the base floor surface where the majority of hazardous waste containers are staged during regular operations.