A lack of hazard awareness and poor emergency planning contributed to mass fatalities and extensive damage when a fertilizer plant in West, Texas, exploded in 2013, federal investigators said on Friday.
The U.S. Chemical Safety Board (CSB) said in its final report on the incident the West community was not made aware of the hazards posed by West Fertilizer Company’s method of storing fertilizer grade ammonium nitrate (FGAN) as homes and businesses were built closer to the facility. The board pointed the finger at OSHA and the EPA for the lack of awareness, urging both agencies to strengthen regulations on storing FGAN. CSB said that while FGAN is stable under normal conditions, it can detonate if it is exposed to contaminants in a fire.
CSB also found that the West Volunteer Fire Department was not required to perform pre-incident planning for an ammonium-nitrate-related emergency. Volunteer firefighters were also not trained on fires triggered by hazardous chemicals, CSB said.
The blast occurred April 17, 2013, when a fire ignited about 30 tons of FGAN that were stored in plywood bins. The 15 fatalities included 12 emergency personnel who were responding to the fire prior to the explosion and three members of the public. More than 260 people were injured.
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