New Hampshire Brewery Faces Fines in Keg Explosion Death
The owner of a New Hampshire brewery where an employee was killed in a keg explosion is facing over $63,000 in fines from a federal agency.
Investigators for the Occupational Safety and Health Administration say the Redhook Ale Brewery’s keg-washing equipment was operating at a pressure that exceeded the maximum threshold recommended by the manufacturer of the plastic keg. Ben Harris was emptying the keg with pressurized air when it blew apart at the seams in April, killing him.
The parent company of Redhook, Craft Brew Alliance, tells Foster’s Daily Democrat that it did not willfully violate workplace safety standards. It said issues raised in OSHA’s citations have already been addressed.
CBA said the keg was mistakenly delivered to Redhook. It said Redhook hadn’t worked with plastic kegs before.