Rohm & Haas Avoids Epa Fine The Chemical Company Averted Federal Penalties Because It Reported Violations At Its Bristol Twp. Plant Voluntarily.

By voluntarily disclosing a number of environmental violations at its Bristol Township plant, Rohm & Haas Co. avoided almost $400,000 in Environmental Protection Agency fines, the EPA said yesterday.

The violations - which included poor recordkeeping, insufficient training for hazardous-waste personnel, and an improperly formulated herbicide - did not cause direct harm to the environment and were promptly corrected, the agency said.

``We want to encourage companies to review and strengthen their environmental compliance,'' agency spokeswoman Ruth Podems said of the decision to waive the fines. ``If they have financial incentives, if they can relieve themselves of the fine, they are more likely to be vigilant in keeping up with the regulations.''

Officials of Rohm & Haas said they were pleased that the EPA had waived the fines.

The self-reported violations stand in contrast to violations the EPA found in 1997 and 1998 after determining that the company had delayed reporting a pair of chemical spills and told the company to pay $180,000 in fines. Company officials would not say whether they planned to appeal the fines.

In January 1997, a small amount of styrene, a colorless liquid used mainly to produce rubber, plastic, insulation and other materials, spilled at the Bristol plant. In March 1998, a small quantity of dichloroethane, a colorless liquid used to make chemical solvents and added to gasoline to remove lead, spilled at the Bristol plant.

In neither case did the spill threaten public health, the EPA said, but the company took too long to report the spills and did not promptly file appropriate reports with the EPA.