Plant at Fault After Explosion

August 18, 2023

Ohio plant faces fines after explosion

  • A federal workplace safety investigation into a Beford foundry explosion that caused the death of a maintenance supervisor and injuries to 15 other employees found the operator, I. Schumann & Co. LLC failed to protect workers from the hazard of steam explosions.
  • OSHA learned the explosion happened while employees inspected a water leak in a furnace used to smelt solid metals.
  • Inspectors found the company did not ensure that required lockout/tag-out procedures were followed during the furnace inspection.
  • OSHA cited the company for six serious violations and has proposed $62,500 in penalties. The foundry has remained closed since the explosion.
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Roller coaster runs again after being shut down

  • A popular roller coaster at the Carowinds amusement park in North Carolina reopened after an alarming break on one of the coaster’s pillars caused a weeks-long shutdown.
  •  Carowinds reopened the Fury 325 coaster following repairs, testing, and a final inspection by the NC Department of Labor’s Elevator and Amusement Device Bureau.
  • The support pillar was replaced in July with a new steel column fabricated by Bolliger & Mabillard, the ride manufacturer, ensuring alignment and fastening of the track and column connection.
  • Later that month amid inspections, the North Carolina Department of Labor confirmed with WJZY-TV in Charlotte that they were notified of another crack or break on the coaster.
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Haz-mat training on the rise

  • Recognizing the importance of chemical incident training, the Ohio Bureau of Workers Compensation (BWC) offers free training for first responders, including volunteer departments.
  • Their focus is on hazard awareness and initial actions during chemical emergencies.
  • Additionally, BWC provides a wide range of safety courses and virtual training, including topics such as chemical safety, fire and explosion safety, emergency response guidebook, and air monitoring.
  • They fund courses covering various levels of hazardous materials training, incident response exercises, intermodal training, rail/highway incident response training, as well as hazardous materials planning and survey studies.
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  • Healthcare violence reaching concerning levels

    • Terry Foster, the president of the Emergency Nurses Association, said that violence in the emergency department for nurses is a “tremendous problem.”
    • More than two nurses are assaulted every hour, and 57 assaults on nurses occur each day, according to a report from Press Ganey.
    • About half of hospital nurses said they’ve seen more violent incidents, according to a 2022 poll from National Nurses United.
    • Most emergency physicians say they’ve seen increased violence, according to a September 2022 poll by the American College of Nurse Physicians.
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