HazardEx - Regional News

Manufacturing plant explosion injures five workers

10 October 2024

An explosion and fire at a centrifugal and metal casting manufacturing facility left five workers with severe burns on 1 October. The incident occurred at a plant operated by Delta Centrifugal in the city of Temple, Texas around 65 miles (104km) north of Austin....
Chemical firm must pay $1.3 million penalty after fatal 2019 explosion

10 October 2024

Chemical products manufacturer AB Specialty Silicones will pay $1.3 million (£995,000) in penalties after an explosion and fire at its Waukegan, Illinois plant in May 2019 claimed the lives of four workers....
Grain cooperative fined over $500,000 for exposing workers to combustible dust, multiple hazards

10 October 2024

Federal investigators in the US found life-threatening hazards at a Nebraska grain cooperative, where workers faced risks of fire and explosions due to the company allowing a build-up of combustible dust and failing to maintain effective dust collection systems, leading to more than $500,000 (£410,000) in proposed penalties....
Illustrated digest published on train derailment and hazardous material spill

10 October 2024

The US National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has released an illustrated digest of its investigation into the 2023 derailment of a Norfolk Southern Railway freight train carrying hazardous materials in East Palestine, Ohio....
Explosion injures five workers at oil site in Canada

08 October 2024

Five people were rushed to hospital after an explosion and fire broke out at an oil site in Alberta, Canada on 30 September. Alberta Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) attended the scene near the town of Cochrane at around 14:15 local time after receiving reports of a workplace explosion....

Major chemical plant fire causes mass evacuation in US 07 October 2024

A large fire broke out at the Bio-Lab facility in Conyers, Georgia in the US on 29 September. The incident forced the closure of nearby highways and the evacuation of around 17,000 people in the local area. Another 90,000 people east of Atlanta were also advised to shelter in place due to a significant plume of dark smoke from the fire....

Lithium ion battery fire burns for days causing port closures 30 September 2024

A lorry overturned in San Pedro near the Port of Los Angeles on 26 September causing damage to its lithium-ion battery cargo and causing a fire that burned for days. The incident forced the closure of a highway and impacted operations at both the Port of Los Angeles and the Port of Long Beach....

Investigative update released into fatal molten salt eruption 26 September 2024

The US Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board (CSB) has released an update into its ongoing investigation into the 30 May 2024 release of a molten mixture of sodium hydroxide and sodium nitrate which fatally injured one employee and resulted in injuries to a second employee at the Techniques Surfaces USA (TS USA) Liquid Nitriding facility in Chattanooga, Tennessee....

Impact inspections at 16 US mines identify 239 safety violations in July 2024 20 September 2024

The US Department of Labor has announced that its Mine Safety and Health Administration completed impact inspections at 16 mines in 10 states in July 2024, issuing 239 violations and one safeguard....

Offshore natural gas pipeline explosion kills contractor 20 August 2024

An offshore natural gas pipeline explosion killed one person near the city of Venice, Louisiana on 17 August. Louisiana State Police was informed of an offshore explosion, fire, and report of a missing person in a marsh area near Venice in Plaquemines Parish at around 20:00 local time....