More violations, mishaps uncovered at GKN Aerospace in Garden Grove

Before the threat of a chemical tank explosion emptied homes near GKN Aerospace in Garden Grove, the company already had a history of spills, leakages and violations that prompted city officials in 2023 to order the firm to improve its “general housekeeping.”

City environmental documents obtained by the Southern California News Group under the California Public Records Act show that GKN was cited in 2023 for sending “white sludge” into the sewer system and was the site of a spill that same year of methyl methacrylate — the hazardous material involved in the recent scare on Memorial Day weekend. GKN Aerospace also sustained a chemical fire in 2023.

Such incidents were par for the course, said a former employee who worked in product quality inspection.

“When there was a complaint, it felt like they just brushed it off. They would do everything they could to stay open versus take care of the problem,” said Osvaldo Cortes, 42. “It was always that culture of nobody’s going to do nothing.”

GKN Aerospace responded in an emailed statement Thursday, June 4, that the plant — a fixture in Garden Grove for 60 years, since it opened under previous owners — takes seriously the safety of employees and the community.

“As a highly regulated facility, we are continually evaluating our operations, reporting to regulators, and resolving issues if and as they arise,” the statement said. “We follow standard safety protocols and processes and are regularly audited by numerous state and federal agencies.”

Photographs taken of the facility by city inspectors in 2023 show rusted containers, barrels and sewer grates. Green water can be seen pooling on the ground, along with white residue. Black sludge lines the bottom of one large metal container. Inspection photos taken in 2025 show a neater property.

According to a city hazardous spill report, 200 gallons of methyl methacrylate, also known as MMA, overflowed from a containment unit and into a concrete berm in October 2023. There were no injuries and no contamination of the waterways, the report said.

MMA is a sweet-smelling chemical used at GKN to manufacture aircraft windows. It gained international attention on May 21, when a tank containing 7,000 gallons of MMA overheated and threatened to explode under pressure or spill out the dangerous chemical, triggering the evacuation of 50,000 people. The crisis was abated when a crack in the tank developed and relieved the pressure.

Past records show other emergencies at the 15-acre site on Western Avenue.

In 2023, a fire occurred at the facility’s outside hazardous waste area, caused by a drum falling and spilling its contents into incompatible wastes. The Garden Grove Fire Department and Orange County Fire Authority put out the fire using a sand truck, documents say.

GKN also was cited in May 2023 for having an outdated “Storm Water Pollution Prevention Plan” and for its waste handling and disposal. An inspection found GKN was releasing acrylic dust into the sewer system, creating a potential blockage down the line.

The citation ordered GKN to clean out drains and reorganize hazardous waste to prevent it from running offsite and separate raw material from the hazardous waste. The company also was ordered to improve best practices for handling acrylic dust and provide secondary containment for hazardous materials throughout the site. The city finally ordered GKN to perform “good housekeeping” on the premises.

Records indicate the company updated its stormwater plan and the company was brought under city compliance. But documents show a pattern of falling behind when it comes to federal, state and local regulations.

In 2014, GKN was put on notice by the Garden Grove Fire Department for failing to submit a hazardous materials business plan, including an inventory of dangerous chemicals used at the plant and ways to mitigate an emergency.

And environmental regulators found other problems.

GKN was penalized $2,550 by the state Department of Industrial Relations in 2018 after an inspection revealed the company wasn’t inspecting or maintaining all machinery and equipment in service, including using appropriate coolant.

Following an on-site inspection in November 2020, the South Coast Air Quality Management District cited GKN Aerospace the next year for failing to maintain required emission records for volatile organic compounds, which are gases emitted from paints, coatings and solvents.

The inspection also found that GKN had operated new equipment without obtaining a permit, operated existing equipment that did not match the description in a permit, and modified permitted equipment without applying for a permit change.

GKN paid more than $900,000 — without admitting guilt — as part of a 2024 settlement with the AQMD, a regional agency responsible for regulating air quality in Southern California.

Because of its history and what he called its “culture” of putting Band-Aids on problems, ex-worker Cortes said he contacted the Wagner Law Group in Fresno to help with its pending lawsuits against GKN Aerospace. Cortes said he wasn’t surprised by the crisis that threatened to blow up nearby neighborhoods or leak 7,000 gallons of dangerous chemicals.

“We (the workers) would have these conversations among ourselves, what if (the tanks) blow up? Would we have time to run? Am I going to have time to duck and cover? ” said Cortes, who worked at the plant for nearly 10 years before leaving in 2023. “When it came up on the news, my heart dropped … all these years we talked about it and it might actually happen.”

Myesia Pouncey worked for a year polishing aircraft canopies at the factory before she was terminated in 2019 during a disability dispute. Pouncey remembered the firm throwing hazardous acrylic wastes and other materials in the general trash or storing them in open containers for hours at a time.

“They weren’t the best in keeping that product safe or disposing of it in a timely manner,” said Pouncey, who sued for wrongful termination.

GKN Aerospace is a division of United Kingdom-based GKN, which was acquired in an $11 billion hostile takeover by Melrose Industries in 2018, according to Reuters. GKN is a major supplier of aerospace and auto parts for the defense industry and the takeover attracted much scrutiny by British politicians who were concerned the firm would be sold to a foreign buyer.

Melrose is known as a “turnaround” specialist with the motto, “buy, improve, sell.” The company has a reputation among some for being an “asset stripper” that slashes costs, axes workers, breaks up firms and sells them for profit, according to published accounts.