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A Wisconsin federal judge has sentenced six Didion Milling Inc. officials for their role in a fatal explosion at a facility operated by the corn milling company in 2017. “These defendants put Didion workers in grave danger, and five people tragically lost their lives, devastating their families and their community,” said U.S. Attorney General Merrick B. […]
On December 6, the U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board (CSB) released its final report on the deadly explosions and fires at the Didion Milling, Inc., dry corn milling facility in Cambria, Wisconsin. The May 2017 explosion fatally injured five employees and seriously injured another 14. The incident destroyed the facility, resulting in over […]
Six safety lapses led to an April 2018 refinery explosion and fire at the Husky Superior Refinery in Superior, Wisconsin, that injured 36 workers, caused roughly $550 million in damage to the facility, and released 39,000 pounds of flammable hydrocarbon vapor into the air, according to a final report released December 29 by the U.S. […]
Beginning October 1, 2018, OSHA launched a regional emphasis program (REP) focused on reducing employee exposure to fertilizer-grade ammonium nitrate (FGAN) and agricultural anhydrous ammonium. The REP will be effective in Arkansas, Kansas, Louisiana, Missouri, Nebraska, Oklahoma, and Texas.
Late last week, a series of explosions across several towns in Massachusetts resulted in one fatality and several injuries. The incident, its aftermath, and the resulting investigations and lawsuits are a reminder of the costliness of failing to conduct proper maintenance and monitoring of equipment to ensure its safe operation and performance.
The tragic explosion of fertilizer-grade ammonium nitrate at the West, Texas, distribution facility in April 2013 has had a powerful impact on the direction of the EPA’s implementation of the Clean Air Act’s Risk Management Program (RMP, CAA Section 112(r)).
OSHA has cited five contractors for safety and health violations after three employees were fatally injured and two others critically injured following an explosion onboard a towboat in Calvert City, Kentucky. These five companies have collectively received 55 of violations with proposed penalties totaling $795,254.
Explosions and fires at oil refineries and chemical facilities are far more likely to occur during equipment start-ups and shutdowns, notes the U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board (CSB) in a recent Safety Digest. Workers are typically the first line of victims when such incidents occur. In the Digest, the CSB describes three start-up/shutdown […]