OSHA has inspected Catalyst Refiners, Inc. 4 times in West Virginia since 2004.
The latest one began on Apr 22, 2026 after a fatality or catastrophe, in Nitro.
Those inspections ended with 18 citation items: 13 serious and 5 other-than-serious.
Penalties were first proposed at $52,503 and now stand at $46,253, 12% lower after settlements or reviews.
Hazard communication comes up most often in these citations: 4 items under 1910.1200.
How that compares: the median penalty per cited inspection for manufacturing employers since 2015 is $4,500, and Catalyst Refiners, Inc. averages $35,228 (1 cited inspection).
Catalyst Refiners, Inc. also files yearly injury logs with OSHA, summarized below.
Inspection 339525834 OPENED DEC 18, 2013Closed
Planned · No inspection · Health · 41 employees at the site · Closed Dec 30, 2013
1580 1st Avenue South, Nitro, WV 25143 · Other Basic Inorganic Chemical Manufacturing · OSHA's record · Phone and website on Google Maps
No citations from this inspection.
Inspection 309477446 OPENED OCT 10, 2007Closed
Accident · Complete · Safety · 20 employees at the site · Closed Mar 19, 2008
1580 1st Avenue, Nitro, WV 25143 · Other Basic Inorganic Chemical Manufacturing · OSHA's record · Phone and website on Google Maps
Incident on Oct 9, 2007: Four employees are injured in chemical explosion
On October 9, 2007, an employee was pumping hydrogen peroxide into a vat, and wa s unaware that the valve had been left open to another vat, containing silver ox ide. The hydrogen peroxide and silver nitrate was mechanically mixed by the supe rvisor by turning the agitator on. This created a quick exothermic reaction, hea ting the silver nitrate and producing steam and hydrogen gas. The reacting silve r nitrate and hydrogen peroxide shot out the top of the vat, and burned the supe rvisor who was standing in the area and the employee to a lesser degree. Two cow orkers who came into the area to assist these employees suffered respiratory irr itation. All four employees were hospitalized.
| Citation and rule | Type | Proposed | Current | Issued | Status |
|---|
| Citation 1, item 1 |
Other-than-serious | $2,500 | $1,000 | Jan 3, 2008 | Closed |
| Citation 1, item 2 |
Serious | $2,500 | $1,500 | Jan 3, 2008 | Closed |
| Citation 1, item 3 |
Serious | $2,500 | $1,500 | Jan 3, 2008 | Closed |
| Citation 1, item 4 |
Serious | $2,500 | $1,500 | Jan 3, 2008 | Closed |
| Citation 1, item 5 |
Serious | $2,500 | $1,500 | Jan 3, 2008 | Closed |
| Citation 1, item 7 |
Other-than-serious | $875 | $500 | Jan 3, 2008 | Closed |
| Citation 1, item 8 |
Other-than-serious | $875 | $500 | Jan 3, 2008 | Closed |
From the Form 300A summaries employers file with OSHA each year. Rate = recordable cases per 100 full-time workers.
In 2025, the Nitro site logged 2 recordable injuries or illnesses among about 28 workers: 7.2 per 100 full-time workers, against a median of 2.9 for its industry.
Current text from the Code of Federal Regulations. Some citations were issued under older wording.
Source: U.S. Department of Labor, OSHA enforcement data. A citation is OSHA's allegation; employers can contest it, and the status column shows where each item stands. Something wrong on this page? Tell us.
