TL;DR:
Federal EPA inspectors found Dover Chemical Corporation storing hazardous waste in unsecured, unlabeled, and aging containers at its Dover, Ohio plant.
Some drums sat outside labs where any employee could reach them. One drum of hazardous waste stood open when no one was using it. Emergency plans still listed a former employee as the primary emergency coordinator.
The EPA later confirmed that 23 containers of hazardous waste stayed on site for at least 125 days, well beyond the 90-day limit allowed without a special permit. Dover Chemical settled the case by paying a civil penalty of $14,000 and certifying that it corrected the violations.
The story shows how a major industrial player can mishandle dangerous waste, expose workers and communities to unnecessary risk, and walk away with a small fine that fits easily into the cost of doing business.
The details that follow show how this happens and why the economic system encourages it.
Table of Contents
- Introduction: Hazardous Waste Left Unsecured
- The Corporate Misconduct at Dover Chemical
- Timeline of Key Events
- Regulatory Loopholes, Weak Oversight, and Neoliberal Capitalism
- Profit-Maximization and Corporate Social Responsibility at the Plant Gate
- Economic Fallout and Hidden Public Costs
- Environmental and Public Health Risks From Hazardous Waste Mismanagement
- Legal Minimalism and the Strategic Use of Time
- The Language of Legitimacy and How It Softens Harm
- Corporate Accountability and Neoliberal Capitalism
- Pathways for Reform and Worker–Community Power
- This Is the System Working as Intended
- Conclusion: Who Pays When Waste Is Treated Like Ordinary Inventory?
1. Introduction: Hazardous Waste Left Unsecured
At an industrial plant in Dover, Ohio, hazardous waste sat in 55-gallon drums outside laboratories and near blending tanks. Some drums carried “Hazardous Waste” labels with technical waste codes. Some had no markings at all. Inspectors found containers that workers could not identify, containers that stayed on site far past legal time limits, and an emergency response plan anchored to a person who no longer worked there.
This is Dover Chemical Corporation’s hazardous waste operation as described in a federal enforcement order. The company produces and handles dangerous materials in large quantities.
Federal law treats this kind of facility as a “large quantity generator” of hazardous waste. That status comes with strict storage and emergency planning rules because a single failure can put workers, neighbors, and first responders in danger.
The company settled the case for a mere $14,000 which raises a basic question: how much hazardous waste mismanagement does a mid-size industrial company get to engage in for less than the price of a used Honda Civic?
2. The Corporate Misconduct at Dover Chemical
Unsecured hazardous waste outside labs
The company managed several 55-gallon drums as “satellite accumulation” containers: waste stored close to where it is created. Under the rules, these containers must stay at or near the point of generation and under the control of the operator who runs the process that creates the waste.
The EPA found three such drums:
- One drum in a plastic storage box outside the Metalworking Research and Development Laboratory, labeled “Hazardous Waste” and marked with specific hazardous waste numbers.
- One drum in a plastic storage box outside the Quality Control Laboratory, collecting waste from the second-floor QC lab. It was labeled “Hazardous Waste” with more hazardous waste codes.
- One drum in a plastic storage box outside the OPS Tech Research and Development Laboratory, also collecting liquid wastes from a second-floor lab and labeled with multiple hazardous waste codes.
Every plastic storage box was accessible to all plant employees. None was locked. The containers did not sit under the direct control of the operators who created the waste.
In plain terms: hazardous waste from specialized labs drained into drums stored in general access areas. A person without training or authorization could open the containers.
Open hazardous waste container
Rules for hazardous waste containers require that they stay closed during storage, except during active loading or unloading. Inspectors found the drum outside the Metalworking R&D lab with a funnel left open in the bunghole. No one was adding or removing waste. An open container raises the chance of spills, fumes, and accidental contact with unknown chemicals.
Out-of-date emergency coordinator
Industrial sites that handle hazardous waste must maintain an emergency plan. The plan must list current emergency coordinators with their names, addresses, and phone numbers. These are the people responsible for directing the response when something goes wrong.
At the time of the inspection, Dover Chemical’s emergency plan still named a former employee as the primary emergency coordinator. The document had not been updated. In a real fire or leak, workers and first responders would turn to a name that no longer matched a person on site.
Long-term storage of hazardous waste without a permit
Federal law prohibits long-term storage of hazardous waste without a permit or interim status. A large quantity generator can keep hazardous waste on site for up to 90 days without such a permit. After that, the waste must go to a permitted treatment, storage, or disposal facility unless the company receives an extension.
Inspectors from the EPA recorded several red flags:
- Inside the Functional Additives Warehouse Building 2, three 55-gallon drums sat near blending tanks. Two had “Hazardous Waste” labels with no other information about contents. One drum carried no markings. All three appeared full. A Dover employee could not identify the source of the material in these drums.
- In a lean-to outside Building 2, inspectors saw numerous containers with materials that no one on site could identify. Most containers had no labels. Employees did not know where the materials came from or whether the contents would become raw material, commercial product, or waste for disposal.
- An employee said that a third-party contractor had already been on site sampling the containers to determine what was inside.
Several months later, on October 14, 2022, Dover Chemical provided a shipping manifest showing that 23 containers of hazardous waste left the site on September 12, 2022, on a truck bound for a permitted hazardous waste facility. The time between the May 10 inspection and the September 12 shipment is 125 days. That exceeds the 90-day limit by at least 35 days.
The company had no hazardous waste storage permit, no interim status, and no documented extension to the 90-day limit. The enforcement order states that the company stored hazardous waste without a permit.
Timeline of Key Events
Timeline of Dover Chemical’s Hazardous Waste Violations and Settlement
| Date | Event | What It Shows About Corporate Conduct and the System |
|---|---|---|
| May 10, 2022 | Federal inspectors visit Dover Chemical’s Dover, Ohio facility. They find unsecured satellite accumulation drums, an open hazardous waste drum, an emergency plan listing a former employee, and numerous unlabeled containers with unknown materials. | Hazardous waste mismanagement exists in multiple parts of the facility at the same time. Basic safety duties fall through the cracks. |
| May–September 2022 | Hazardous waste remains on site in numerous containers. A contractor samples the containers to figure out their contents. | The company treats waste storage as flexible and open-ended. Identification and proper disposal move slowly. |
| September 12, 2022 | A shipment of 23 containers of hazardous waste leaves the facility for a permitted disposal site. | Hazardous waste that was on site during the May inspection stays at the plant for at least 125 days, which is 35 days beyond the 90-day limit allowed without a permit. |
| October 14, 2022 | Dover Chemical provides a copy of the shipping manifest to federal regulators as proof of the September shipment. | Regulators confirm the extended storage period and document the permit violation. |
| January 31, 2024 | The company’s president signs the expedited settlement agreement and final order for a $14,000 civil penalty and certifies that violations have been corrected. | Corporate leadership accepts financial responsibility while avoiding a formal admission of the alleged facts. |
| February 15, 2024 | The regional judicial officer signs the final order. The agreement becomes effective upon filing with the regional hearing clerk. | The case closes with a small fine, completed paperwork, and no individual executive liability. |
3. Regulatory Loopholes, Weak Oversight, and Neoliberal Capitalism
The enforcement order outlines clear rules and clear violations. At the same time, it reveals a system that gives large generators wide room to push limits.
A company that generates large amounts of hazardous waste can store that waste on site for 90 days without a permit. This exemption exists to ease the burden on industry. It assumes that companies will keep track of time, label containers, and ship waste promptly. When a company overshoots the limit, enforcement depends on inspections, paperwork review, and a later calculation of days.
In practice, this framework reflects a neoliberal model. Regulators frame their role as managing compliance through guidance, inspections, and negotiated penalties. Companies enjoy substantial discretion over daily handling of hazardous waste. Storage in unlabeled drums, shared access to waste outside labs, and outdated emergency plans come to light only when inspectors arrive.
Under this model, public agencies carry the burden of discovery and proof. Companies control the worksite, the records, and the waste.
4. Profit-Maximization and Corporate Social Responsibility at the Plant Gate
The settlement document does not list Dover Chemical’s revenues or profits. It still shows how cost-cutting logic shapes daily operations.
Storing waste in unlabeled or unidentified containers reduces immediate management effort. Leaving drums in shared access boxes outside labs avoids dedicating secured storage space and supervision. Delaying shipments to an off-site hazardous waste facility defers disposal costs and freight charges. Maintaining an emergency plan with outdated names avoids a continuous investment of time and attention.
Every one of these choices has a clear financial dimension. Time spent labeling containers, updating plans, and shipping waste costs money. Neoliberal capitalism rewards companies that minimize these costs. Corporate social responsibility campaigns describe safety programs and community engagement. The enforcement record shows what happens when internal discipline slips and the underlying incentive structure pushes in the opposite direction.
A $14,000 penalty for a plant that runs multiple labs, warehouses, and blending operations sends a simple message. Hazardous waste violations carry a price that many companies can absorb.
5. Economic Fallout and Hidden Public Costs
The case centers on a single facility, yet its economic footprint extends beyond the plant fence.
Public agencies devote staff hours to inspections, legal review, settlements, and tracking of penalty payments. Those costs flow through federal budgets that taxpayers fund. The company pays a fine and sends waste to a permitted facility. The government absorbs the administrative overhead and the long-term monitoring burden.
Workers at the plant operate in an environment where containers may be unlabeled or unknown. Time spent tracking down contents of a drum or finding out who the real emergency coordinator is becomes part of their workday. Confusion during an incident can raise injury and property damage costs.
Downstream communities carry risk from any spill, leak, or fire that might arise from mishandled hazardous waste. The settlement order does not describe such an event at this facility. The pattern it documents matches many other sites where mismanagement continues until a visible disaster forces action.
In a profit-driven system, the financial benefits of relaxed practice flow to the company. The costs spread across workers, public agencies, and communities that must live with the risk.
6. Environmental and Public Health Risks From Hazardous Waste Mismanagement
The enforcement document describes hazardous waste in simple terms: drums labeled “Hazardous Waste,” coded containers near blending tanks, unknown materials in a lean-to, and a drum with its funnel open. These details point toward clear risks.
- Unsecured drums outside labs: Any employee can reach the drums. An untrained person might open or move them.
- Unlabeled containers: Workers and emergency responders lack vital information during spills, fires, or medical incidents.
- Unknown materials in a lean-to: A mix of containers with no clear source or future plan creates confusion during normal operations and serious danger during emergencies.
- Open funnel on a hazardous waste drum: Open containers can spill, evaporate harmful vapors, or collect rainwater that overflows.
Hazardous waste can include flammable, toxic, or reactive materials. The exact chemicals in Dover Chemical’s containers appear only through technical codes in the record. The key public health point is easier to understand. Leaving dangerous waste open, unlabeled, or untracked invites accidents.
Routine mismanagement seldom makes headlines. The risk is long-term and cumulative. It shapes the likelihood and severity of future fires, leaks, and releases.
7. Legal Minimalism and the Strategic Use of Time
The timeline shows a familiar pattern under late-stage capitalism.
Inspectors visit in May 2022 and document major gaps in hazardous waste handling. Hazardous waste remains on site for at least 125 days, far beyond the 90-day limit. Sampling by a contractor proceeds while the company and regulators exchange information. The shipment leaves in September, more than four months after the inspection. The formal settlement arrives in early 2024, almost two years after inspectors first wrote down what they saw.
During this period, the company continues its operations. Hazardous waste remains on site. The economic machine keeps turning.
This pattern reflects legal minimalism. Companies move toward the minimum action needed to resolve violations on paper. They rely on time, negotiations, and technical documentation to shape the outcome. The system allows long intervals between discovery and final penalty. Those intervals have value. They delay costs and maintain business continuity.
8. The Language of Legitimacy and How It Softens Harm
The enforcement order speaks in an official voice. It cites “Section 3005,” “interim status,” “large quantity generator,” and “contingency plan.” It references specific code sections and acronyms.
This language has legal power. It also distances the public from the lived experience of the violations. A phrase like “stored hazardous waste without a permit” hides the everyday reality of workers walking past unlabeled drums or looking up to see a funnel left open on a waste container.
Legal language frames harm as “violations” subject to “civil penalties.” The reader learns that the civil penalty is “not deductible for federal tax purposes.” The same paragraph does not mention any individual human faces: the operator who has to respond during a fire, the emergency responder who consults an outdated plan, the worker who wonders what is inside a rust-stained drum with no label.
Neoliberal systems lean on this technocratic language. It makes hazardous waste management sound like a paperwork issue. The real issue is whether people and ecosystems are placed at risk so a company can shave time and money from its safety practices.
9. Corporate Accountability and Neoliberal Capitalism
The Dover Chemical case ends in a way that fits the broader pattern of corporate accountability under neoliberal capitalism.
- The company and regulators reach an expedited settlement.
- The company accepts the penalty while neither admitting nor denying the factual allegations.
- The enforcement division reserves the right to act on future violations, while this specific matter closes.
- There is no mention of disciplinary action against individuals.
This outcome treats the company as a unit that can pay money to resolve safety failures. The legal system speaks to the corporation as an entity, not to the people who made decisions that left drums unlabeled, stored waste beyond time limits, or failed to update emergency plans.
In this framework, fines become a predictable cost category. Companies budget for environmental compliance and for environmental penalties. The basic business model remains untouched. The economic logic that produced the violations stays in place.
10. Pathways for Reform and Worker–Community Power
The facts in this case suggest reforms that would shift power toward workers, communities, and the environment.
- Shorter hazardous waste storage windows for large generators
A 90-day limit gives companies a wide margin. Cutting that window or requiring automatic alerts when waste approaches the limit would reduce the temptation to delay shipments. - Mandatory real-time labeling and tracking
Every container that holds hazardous material should carry clear, legible labels and entries in a digital tracking system. Workers and regulators should see, at a glance, what is inside each drum, when it was filled, and where it is going. - Worker-centered emergency planning
Emergency coordinators should be chosen with direct input from front-line workers and updated on a fixed schedule. Plans should be posted and drilled, not just filed. - Penalty structures tied to risk and corporate size
A flat $14,000 penalty may feel painful to a small workshop. It feels modest for an industrial chemical producer with labs, warehouses, and blending tanks. Penalties that scale with company revenue, waste volume, and duration of violations would strengthen deterrence. - Community oversight and transparency
Hazardous waste generating facilities can be required to hold community meetings, release simplified public reports on inspections and violations, and maintain open channels for worker and neighbor complaints. Communities that live with the risk deserve a voice in how it is managed.
These reforms would shift hazardous waste management from a compliance exercise to a real commitment to corporate ethics and corporate social responsibility.
11. This Is the System Working as Intended
This right here is late-stage capitalism acting exactly how it was designed to act.
A company mishandles hazardous waste. A federal agency investigates and negotiates. The company pays a moderate fine, certifies that it has corrected the violations, and returns to business. The enforcement order closes the file and becomes part of the company’s “compliance history.”
The deeper structure stays intact. Hazardous waste rules remain complex. Enforcement remains reactive. Financial penalties remain small relative to the scale of industrial operations. Corporate power remains concentrated, while workers and communities carry the ongoing risk.
This is the predictable product of a system that prioritizes profit and growth over human safety and environmental protection.
12. Conclusion: Who Pays When Waste Is Treated Like Ordinary Inventory?
Dover Chemical stored hazardous waste in unsecured, unlabeled, and long-held containers at a major industrial plant. The company left an outdated emergency coordinator in its plan and allowed an open funnel on a hazardous waste drum. Inspectors documented the violations.
The people most exposed to the consequences are workers who walk those halls and yards each day, emergency responders who rely on accurate plans and labels, and communities that live near the plant and share the air and water around it.
The expedited settlement agreement between the EPA and Dover Chemical can be found on the former’s website: https://yosemite.epa.gov/OA/RHC/EPAAdmin.nsf/Filings/7A7C1DA02D07755E85258AC40073E00C/$File/RCRA-05-2024-0002_ESA_DoverChemicalCorporation_DoverOhio_6PGS.pdf
💡 Explore Corporate Misconduct by Category
Corporations harm people every day — from wage theft to pollution. Learn more by exploring key areas of injustice.
- 💀 Product Safety Violations — When companies risk lives for profit.
- 🌿 Environmental Violations — Pollution, ecological collapse, and unchecked greed.
- 💼 Labor Exploitation — Wage theft, worker abuse, and unsafe conditions.
- 🛡️ Data Breaches & Privacy Abuses — Misuse and mishandling of personal information.
- 💵 Financial Fraud & Corruption — Lies, scams, and executive impunity.
NOTE:
This website is facing massive amounts of headwind trying to procure the lawsuits relating to corporate misconduct. We are being pimp-slapped by a quadruple whammy:
- The Trump regime's reversal of the laws & regulations meant to protect us is making it so victims are no longer filing lawsuits for shit which was previously illegal.
- Donald Trump's defunding of regulatory agencies led to the frequency of enforcement actions severely decreasing. What's more, the quality of the enforcement actions has also plummeted.
- The GOP's insistence on cutting the healthcare funding for millions of Americans in order to give their billionaire donors additional tax cuts has recently shut the government down. This government shut down has also impacted the aforementioned defunded agencies capabilities to crack down on evil-doers. Donald Trump has since threatened to make these agency shutdowns permanent on account of them being "democrat agencies".
- My access to the LexisNexis legal research platform got revoked. This isn't related to Trump or anything, but it still hurt as I'm being forced to scrounge around public sources to find legal documents now. Sadge.
All four of these factors are severely limiting my ability to access stories of corporate misconduct.
Due to this, I have temporarily decreased the amount of articles published everyday from 5 down to 3, and I will also be publishing articles from previous years as I was fortunate enough to download a butt load of EPA documents back in 2022 and 2023 to make YouTube videos with.... This also means that you'll be seeing many more environmental violation stories going forward :3
Thank you for your attention to this matter,
Aleeia (owner and publisher of www.evilcorporations.com)
Also, can we talk about how ICE has a $170 billion annual budget, while the EPA-- which protects the air we breathe and water we drink-- barely clocks $4 billion? Just something to think about....
