Titan Frozen Fruit agrees to settlement
Santa Maria-based company Titan Frozen Fruit LLC will pay approximately $70,000 in penalties following a settlement with the Santa Barbara County District Attorney’s Office involving the handling of hazardous materials.
District Attorney Joyce E. Dudley announced the settlement Tuesday.
The case originated from an incident in August 2020 where two cleaning agents at the company’s facility mixed, causing chlorine gas to release. The Santa Maria Fire Department responded to the incident. At least five employees were treated for symptoms related to gas exposure.
Inspectors with Santa Barbara County’s Certified Unified Program Agency found Titan’s Hazardous Materials Business Plan failed to account for the possibility of the chemicals coming into contact with each other during cleaning.
According to the District Attorney’s Office, Titan fully cooperated with the investigation and reached a settlement to pay civil penalties to Santa Barbara County as well as an agreement that requires Titan to update and implement their Hazardous Materials Business Plan.
“Violations involving the handling of hazardous materials pose a danger to members of the public and to first responders,” District Attorney Dudley said in a news release. “As this case makes clear, they also threaten the safety of company employees. My office takes these violations very seriously, and we appreciate Titan’s cooperation in the resolution of this matter.”
— Forrest McFarland
