Chaminade faces $154,000 safety fine

By Jennifer Hiller
Advertiser Education Writer

Chaminade University of Honolulu faces a $154,000 fine for safety violations that the Department of Health says were discovered last year in its laboratory storage facility.

State Department of Health inspectors found old laboratory chemicals — some dating several decades — bulging, leaking, crystallizing and corroding in their containers. The small storage room was cramped and smelled of fumes, said Steven Chang, program manager for the department's Solid and Hazardous Waste Branch.

Since the inspections in November and December, Chaminade has cleaned its facility and made extensive changes and repairs to its chemical storage, Chang said.

"They've taken some action to get rid of the material. The storeroom was in very bad shape," he said. "They made a significant improvement in the operation. Comparing it then and now is like night and day."

Chaminade has 20 days to respond to the $154,711 fine. The fine is for failure to make a hazardous waste determination, failure to properly label waste, storing hazardous waste without a permit, mismanagement of containers and having insufficient aisle space.

Peter Wolf, director of university relations, said the university has come into full compliance and has appointed an environmental official to oversee chemical storage. Chaminade may ask the state to consider applying the cost of making the improvements to the price of the fine, he said. The school also disagrees with the term "hazardous waste," he said.

"There was no hazard to the community or students," Wolf said. "It was just chemicals for chemistry class. Even high school chemistry classes have this. You can't teach without it."

Reach Jennifer Hiller at jhiller@honoluluadvertiser.com or 525-8084.