Fed Probe Says Leak Preceded Pennsylvania Zinc Plant Blast
The U.S. Chemical Safety Board says a column used to distill zinc in a western Pennsylvania plant had failed before an explosion killed two workers on July 22.
The federal board is investigating the explosion at the Horsehead Corp. plant in Potter Township, about 25 miles northwest of Pittsburgh. The company, its union and the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration are also investigating.
The chemical board doesn’t issue fines, but is empowered to make safety recommendations. The board says it determined that the five-story brick distillation column suffered a “loss of containment” before the explosion.
When operating normally, natural gas and carbon monoxide are used to oxidize molten zinc as it flows through the column.
Horsehead spokesman Ali Alavi says “it’s too early to speculate” on the board’s findings.
- 4,800 Claims Handled by Unlicensed Adjusters in Florida After Irma, Lawsuit Says
- Beyond the Claim: How Social Canvassing is Transforming Insurance Fraud Detection
- DraftKings Sued Over ‘Risk-Free’ Bets That Were Anything But
- California Chiropractor Sentenced to 54 Years for $150M Workers’ Comp Scheme
- Mother of 8-Year-Old ‘Violently Sucked’ into Houston Hotel Pool Files Wrongful Death Suit
- EVs Head for Junkyard as Mechanic Shortage Inflates Repair Costs
- Poll: Consumers OK with AI in P/C Insurance, but Not So Much for Claims and Underwriting
- CoreLogic Report Probes Evolving Severe Convective Storm Risk Landscape