Honeywell faces potential fine at Ill. plant

METROPOLIS, Ill. — The U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration is proposing Honeywell International Inc. be fined $119,000 for alleged safety violations during an incident in December at its plant in Metropolis.

The agency said Wednesday it found safety violations after a release of toxic hydrogen fluoride vapor. The facility has about 560 employees and processes raw uranium for generating nuclear power. No one was injured.

New Jersey-based Honeywell International Inc. said in a statement that it started working to address the issues even before the incident and has made a number of safety improvements.

OSHA says the violations included a lack of written instructions for handling hydrogen fluoride in some situations and using equipment that doesn't comply with good engineering practices.

The company has 15 days to respond to federal officials.