URT, one of the few companies that continues to process CRT devices, was cited in 2023 and 2024 for workplace safety issues partially due to lead and cadmium exposure. | Underworld/Shutterstock
ITAD and cathode ray tube device processor Universal Recycling Technologies announced that its e-Stewards certification will be suspended for 30 days, following an OSHA fine over worker exposure to lead and cadmium.
In a press release, URT emphasized that the suspension is temporary and that the company has been proactively working with e-Stewards. Ken Thomas, URT president, said the company’s “mission remains unchanged — to provide secure, responsible, and transparent recycling solutions.”
“We are actively collaborating with industry experts and regulatory bodies to not only meet but exceed compliance expectations,” he added.
Selena Turnock, e-Stewards certification director, told E-Scrap News via email that as a certified e-Stewards processor, URT “is subject not only to the disciplinary actions that might be imposed by Certifying bodies but also to the e-Stewards Critical Non-Conformity policy,” and the fine amount alone exceeding a $100,000 threshold “defined the event as a Critical non-Conformity.”
“What was in question was what level of sanction or penalty would be invoked for this Critical non-Conformity,” she said, and that ultimately resulted in the 30-day suspension as well as several corrective actions that URT is ordered to carry out to regain its certification.
In October 2024, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, part of the U.S. Department of Labor, announced an initial fine of $202,820 for two “repeat” violations, six “serious” violations and one non-serious violation of workplace safety regulations at URT’s Janesville, Wisconsin, plant. That amount was later decreased to $129,000 after a settlement meeting.
OSHA found that URT “failed to implement adequate engineering controls and did not keep surfaces as free as practicable from lead and cadmium accumulations,” and that URT was cited for similar issues in April 2023.
At the time, Thomas noted that URT had been working proactively with OSHA on the issue for the past year and had invested more than $150,000 into engineering controls and to improve overall air quality.
After the settlement meeting, OSHA dropped two citations altogether – one “repeat” citation for alleged lead and cadmium exposure issues and a “serious” citation for airborne cadmium exposure. It also reclassified a separate “repeat” citation as just “serious.”
The e-Stewards program guidelines state that any recycler that receives a fine of more than $100,000 faces a two-year revocation, unless there are “special mitigating circumstances,” which is decided at the discretion of e-Stewards and the Basel Action Network, the organization that administers the standard.
Turnock said when making a decision on mitigating circumstances, it considers “willfulness, honesty, actions already taken, and full recognition of culpability.”
“URT has been cooperative and transparent in the course of our investigation,” she said. “After a thorough review of the OSHA citations, actions taken by OSHA, and corrective actions already undertaken by URT and the fine URT agreed to pay, it was determined by BAN that URT’s conduct warranted a suspension of their certificate for 30 days, along with the completion of several corrective actions initiated by e-Stewards in addition to those called for already by OSHA. We also made it clear that the suspension would be made public.”
In the press release, URT noted that it has made “substantial and ongoing investments in employee health and safety in CRT processing — including upgrades already in progress at the time of OSHA’s visit,” which is why e-Stewards opted for a 30-day suspension, the minimum allowed under the standard.
The exact suspension dates are March 21 through April 19. URT’s press release noted that all of its services remain fully operational, and all of its other certifications – R2v3, NAID AAA, ISO 9001, ISO 14001 and ISO 45001 – remain active.
“Our commitment to responsible recycling remains stronger than ever,” Thomas said. “While we work through this temporary pause with e-Stewards, it’s important to emphasize that our other certifications — including R2v3 — remain fully active. We continue to operate at the highest levels of employee safety, compliance, and service reliability for our customers.”
In addition, URT remains “deeply committed” to the e-Stewards v4.1 certification, Thomas added: “This certification represents more than compliance; it aligns with URT’s core values of integrity, employee safety, security, and environmental stewardship.”
Turnock added that “pending the appropriate closure of several corrective actions, we expect to reinstate URT’s certificate after the 30-day period.”
CRT glass processing challenges
As the amount of CRT glass in circulation declines, fewer and fewer operations have continued to handle the material.
A case that grabbed headlines was the collapse of Closed Loop Refining and Recovery in 2016, which led to years of court litigation and CRT cleanup. Most recently, in February, Kuusakoski US announced plans to close its two Illinois electronics and CRT glass processing facilities and exit the U.S.
URT noted in the press release that it is one of the “first and last remaining certified recyclers willing to take on the complex and hazardous challenge of processing CRT glass.”
Thomas said that “the reality is that CRT glass is one of the most difficult materials to manage responsibly, and URT refuses to take shortcuts.”