Feds to probe fatal mill blast

Tag : fiber packaging

The accident occurred as workers were welding to repair a flangefitting atop an 80-foot-tall storage tank that contained recycledwater and paper fiber, according to a Chemical Safety Board newsrelease.
Randy Hoegger, 55, and Steve Voermans, 52, both of Tomahawk, andDonald Snyder, 46, of Merrill were standing on a catwalk above thedomed, cylindrical tank and welding when an internal explosionripped open the tank lid. All three died of traumatic injuries.Alex Loka, 20, of Tomahawk had been observing the work from adistance and suffered minor injuries.
The Chemical Safety Board is a nonregulatory, scientific agencythat investigates serious chemical accidents to determine theircause. It does not issue fines but distributes its reports toplants, industry organizations, labor groups and regulatoryagencies, said Daniel Horowitz, a spokesman for the board.
"We investigate the most serious chemical accidents that occur eachyear in the United States," Horowitz said. "The goal is preventingthese accidents in the future through better standards, betterinformation and better practices."
Investigators were at the mill last week to examine the scene,conduct interviews and gather evidence. They plan to examinewhether anaerobic microbes, which grow in the absence of oxygen andfeed on organic matter, produced flammable gas to fuel theexplosion. Recycled process water stored in large tanks at papermills contains nutrients that promote the growth of organisms thatproduce hydrogen and other flammable gases, according to theagency.
The U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration, or OSHA,also is investigating the conditions that may have led to theblast. A PCA spokesman could not be reached Friday for comment.