West Pharmaceutical blamed for fatal explosion in 2003
West Pharmaceutical Services should have warned workers about the build-up of potentially explosive dust, and should have taken more care to design the factory and wiring to take account of the build-up, says the official report into the January 2003 explosion. The explosion kiled six and injured 38 more workers at the plant.
The U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board released its final report on 23 Sept after voting unanimously to approve the document.
The CSB report determined four root causes of the accident at West: the company's inadequate engineering assessment for combustible powders, inadequate consultation with fire safety standards, lack of appropriate review of material safety data sheets (MSDSs), and inadequate communication of dust hazards to workers. The full text of the report will be posted on the CBS website, "within a few days".
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Press release from Chemical Safety Board
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