Opinion ID: 75555
Heading Depth: 4
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: The Evidence of Mens Rea

Text: 72 The evidence showed that Hansen, Randall, and Taylor knew that the conditions of the plant were dangerous and that the conditions posed a serious danger to the employees. LCP former employee Wilbur Duane Outhwaite testified that he voiced his opposition to the use of the Bunker C storage with Hansen, and that Hansen responded that it was his decision to make, and he decided to use them. R20-350. LCP acting plant manager Hugh Croom discussed his concerns regarding the dangerous conditions in the cellroom and the danger to the employees with Randall. R16-129-30. Croom and LCP former employee Outhwaite testified that Randall received daily reports from the plant managers concerning plant operations and safety problems. R16-97-98; R20-359, 374. Randall was aware of the water on the cellroom floor and wouldn't say that [he] wasn't unaware of the hazard, but thought that the walkway was an acceptable resolution to eliminating the hazard to the employees while we worked to dry the cellroom floor. R21-224-25. He conceded that he was aware that the company was cited for willful violation of OSHA safety regulations as a result of water on cellroom floors. Id. at 225; Govt. Ex. 10-7i. Jesse Jones, a former LCP employee and a union representative, met with Randall to discuss the employees' safety issues, and Randall promised the needed repairs. R21-148. He said that he discussed the safety concerns, specifically the water condition, the deterioration of the plant with the pipes, the leaks, and the safety equipment[] with Hansen and Taylor. Id. at 146. Between 3 August 1993, and 4 February 1994, Randall was sent 22 reports listing 110 different violations of the NPDES standards. Govt. Exs. 10-1o-10-1nn. As LCP's environmental manager, Brent Hanson regularly advised Randall of the plant's environmental problems [w]henever he was interested in things and by monthly reports. R20-64-65. 73 As early as 1988, NIOSH informed Taylor that the plant employees had extremely high levels of mercury in their bodies which created an unacceptably high potential for health effects, and that the mercury-contaminated wastes should be kept in vapor-proof containers. Govt Ex. 40-1c at 2. Despite this, the employees' exposure to high levels of mercury continued. In 1992, Taylor addressed his concerns about severe safety problems in a memorandum to Randall. Govt. Ex. 1-5. Taylor was aware that, during the spring of 1993, 23 cellroom employees were removed from their duty in the cellrooms due to their high levels of mercury and that the mercury level in the workplace increased. R21-294-95, 297. Taylor was aware of and concerned by the mercury-contaminated waste which was stored in drums in the cellrooms' basement and which was emitting elevated levels of mercury fumes. Id. at 298-303. He admitted that the mercury-contaminated mud on the cellroom floors posed a health risk and needed to be monitored. Id. at 301-02. He testified that, on occasion, he would get into the water wearing protective equipment to make repairs and improvements to the pumps, and admitted that, if the wastewater got onto bare skin and was caustic, you would start to feel a little burning or a little heat sensation but that it could be neutralized by washing with the safety solution. Id. at 263-64. He said that such burns were not unusual in a caustic soda manufacturing plant through employee carelessness and equipment failures. Id. at 264. 74