Report Due on Deadly Refinery Explosion

A federal agency is preparing to release its findings after a lengthy investigation of the deadly 2008 dust explosion at Imperial Sugar refinery.

By: Associated Press | WSAV-TV
Published: September 24, 2009

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SAVANNAH, Ga. (AP) - A federal agency is preparing to release
its findings after a lengthy investigation of the deadly 2008 dust
explosion at a Georgia sugar refinery.
The U.S. Chemical Safety Board was scheduled to issue its report
Thursday morning on the causes of the March 2008 explosion near
Savannah that killed 14 workers and injured 36 others.
The board doesn't issue fines or sanctions, but uses its
findings to make safety recommendations to policymakers and
industry.
After the explosion last year, the Occupational Health and
Safety Administration recommended $8.7 million in fines against the
refinery's owner, Texas-based Imperial Sugar, for workplace safety
violations at its plants in Georgia and Louisiana.
OSHA investigators concluded dangerous accumulations of sugar
dust inside the plant exploded like gunpowder.