OSHA has cited Patterson-UTI Drilling, Crescent Consulting LLC, and Skyline Directional Drilling LLC for exposing employees to fire and explosion hazards after five employees were killed on a Patterson-UTI drilling rig near Quinton, Oklahoma

The five men who died were found in the “dog house,” a control room located near the drilling platform. The Oklahoma Department of Emergency Management identified them as Roger Cunningham, 55, of Seminole; Josh Ray, 35, of Fort Worth, Texas; Cody Risk, 26, of Wellington, Colo.; Matt Smith, 29, of McAlester, and Parker Waldridge, 60, of Crescent.

July 30, 2018

U.S. Department of Labor Cites Three Companies in Oklahoma
After Five Employees Fatally Injured by Explosion and Fire

OKLAHOMA CITY, OK–

The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has cited Patterson-UTI Drilling, Crescent Consulting LLC, and Skyline Directional Drilling LLC for exposing employees to fire and explosion hazards after five employees suffered fatal injuries.

The explosion and fire occurred on a Patterson-UTI drilling rig near Quinton, Oklahoma. OSHA cited Patterson-UTI and Crescent Consulting for failing to maintain proper controls while drilling a well, inspect slow descent devices, and implement emergency response plans. OSHA cited all three companies for failing to ensure that heat lamps in use were approved for hazardous locations. The three companies face penalties totaling $118,643, the maximum allowed for violation of the OSHA standards.

“These employers failed to properly control hazards involved in oil and gas extraction activities, and the result was tragic,” said OSHA Oklahoma City Area Office Director David Bates. “Employers are required to monitor their operations to ensure workplace health and safety procedures are adequate and effective.”

The companies have 15 business days from receipt of the citations and penalties to comply, request an informal conference with OSHA’s area director, or contest the findings before the independent Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission. The citations can be viewed here, here, and here

Under the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970, employers are responsible for providing safe and healthful workplaces for their employees. OSHA’s role is to help ensure these conditions for America’s working men and women by setting and enforcing standards, and providing training, education and assistance. For more information, visit http://www.osha.gov.

=========================




January 25, 2018
Authorities Investigating Oklahoma Rig Explosion, Deadliest U.S. Drilling Accident In Years
Joe Wertz


Oklahoma Corporation Commission

Inspectors and emergency crews surveying damage at Patterson-UTI's rig 219, which exploded and caught fire Jan. 22.

Federal and state authorities are investigating the cause of the deadly explosion and fire at a natural gas drilling rig in southeastern Oklahoma on Monday. Five workers died in what appears to be one of the country’s deadliest onshore drilling accidents.

The well site, located near the town of Quinton, 100 miles south of Tulsa, was operated by Oklahoma City-based Red Mountain Energy. Patterson-UTI Energy, of Houston, owns and operates the drilling rig, which exploded and caught fire about 8:45 a.m.

The cause of the explosion and fire is not yet known. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration and the Chemical Safety Board are investigating, as is the Oklahoma Corporation Commission, the state’s oil and gas regulator.

A day after the explosion, Oklahoma’s Supreme Court struck down a portion of the state’s workers compensation law, ruling 8-0 that oil and gas companies can be sued when workers are injured or killed. Oklahoma law holds operators responsible for well site safety, not contract drillers or oil-field service companies.

A preliminary report from a commission investigator found the fire that engulfed the rig was fed by an “uncontrolled gas release.” A rig worker attempted to activate a device known as a blowout preventer to shut off the well but was unable to, the inspector reported.

The fire at the wellhead kept emergency crews at bay for hours and created a black plume of smoke visible for miles. One worker who escaped with burns was taken by helicopter to a hospital and later released; sixteen other workers who fled the burning rig were uninjured.

“From what I was told from many of the survivors, there was an explosion, they heard a loud boom, they seen fire and they ran,” Pittsburg County Sheriff Chris Morris said. “Everybody was trying to survive.”

The five men who died were found in the “dog house,” a control room located near the drilling platform. The Oklahoma Department of Emergency Management identified them as Roger Cunningham, 55, of Seminole; Josh Ray, 35, of Fort Worth, Texas; Cody Risk, 26, of Wellington, Colo.; Matt Smith, 29, of McAlester, and Parker Waldridge, 60, of Crescent.

Tony Say, a founder of Red Mountain Energy, told reporters Tuesday the small energy company was “absolutely devastated” by the accident.

“Our thoughts are with those whose lives have been impacted beyond words by this tragedy. You’ll be in our prayers over the coming days and weeks,” he said. “Our priority, sincerely, is the people who have been affected and the safety of those who will be called upon to work the well site and investigate.”

In a statement, Patterson-UTI President and CEO Andy Hendricks said his employees were “deeply saddened” and pledged a thorough investigation of the accident.

“There is nothing more important to us than the safety of our employees and others we partner with in the field. Tonight, our thoughts and prayers go out to all those affected and their loved ones.”

Patterson-UTI has struggled for years with one of the worst safety records in the drilling industry, OSHA data show. A 2008 report from the U.S. Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions subcommittee identified 12 deaths at Patterson-UTI drilling sites in Texas alone. Inspections of drilling sites the company operates in Oklahoma and other states have turned up numerous violations, OSHA data show.

Drilling is a dangerous job. At least 60 workers in Oklahoma have died working for energy companies or on the job at oil and gas drilling sites from 2011-2016, data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics show. In 2012, a sharp rise in deadly oil-field accidents led to a voluntary statewide shutdown of drilling activity so rig work crews could review safety standards and procedures.

OSHA is investigating an accident at Zalanta Resort at the Village condominium project behind Harrah’s on the south shore in South Lake Tahoe, where a construction worker was critically injured

OSHA Investigating Industrial Accident in South Lake Tahoe
Posted on July 26, 2018

OSHA is investigating an accident at a construction site in South Lake Tahoe, where a construction worker was critically hurt Tuesday. 

Emergency crews were called about 7:30AM to the accident at the site of a condominium project behind Harrah’s on the south shore. 

The site is just on the California side of the state line. 

A construction worker was standing in a manhole that was inside a dug-out pit when he was hit by a pickup being driven through the pit. 

He sustained critical injuries to his chest and shoulder and was flown for treatment to a hospital in Reno. 

Eric Guevin with Tahoe Douglas Fire says he expects no charges will be filed, since it was an accident, but he says OSHA could issue a fine after an investigation.

======================



South Lake Tahoe condo project breaks ground

September 6, 2015


This rendering shows a view of the next building planned for construction under The Chateau project.


SOUTH LAKE TAHOE — The Chateau at Heavenly Village has a new name: Zalanta Resort at the Village.

The name change comes as the second phase of a controversial project near Stateline began this week.

Zalanta means "spiritual mountain."

Lew Feldman, a South Shore attorney representing the project's owner, said development will take approximately 18 months. Projected construction costs have not yet been announced.

Feldman said the area was cleared last week.

The second phase of construction includes 19,477 square feet of retail space on the ground floor and two-story hotel condominiums, which include 32 units, at the northeast corner of Highway 50 and Friday Avenue.

"The build-out is going to give our town a very finished and upscale look," Feldman said.

The Chateau project had its hiccups over the years— starts and finishes dating back to 1993, including a fallout in funding following the recession.

The owner, Tahoe Stateline Ventures, (a subsidiary of Owens Realty Mortgage), had to revisit the project since plans were approved in 2007 and 2013.

Previously proposed features, like an event center, were removed after $55 million in public funding vanished when Gov. Jerry Brown dissolved California's redevelopment agencies.

The first phase eventually opened in July 2014, with all but one retail space filled.

Feldman said he expects a lot of demand for both the retail space and condo hotels.

While a condo unit will be fully owned by whoever purchases one, owners can rent them out as they desire. Amenities within the condo area will include gathering places and a 3.4-acre site with barbecue pits.

According to Feldman, other alpine resorts — like Vail, Colorado and Park City, Utah — offer high-end condos within walking distance to ski amenities.

"There is an undersupply in South Lake Tahoe, and this existing addition will appeal to some second homeowners," he said.

OSHA investigates when three employees were injured after massive explosion at Thomas Industrial Fabrication plant in Woolwine, Virginia

Woolwine accident under investigation by OSHA

Brian Carlton | Martinsville Bulletin
Jul 27, 2018


WOOLWINE, VA— 

It could be several months before anyone knows what caused Wednesday’s explosion at the Thomas Industrial Fabrication plant in Woolwine.

The Roanoke office of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration confirmed on Thursday that an investigation has been launched into the incident.

“We are evaluating the scene, gathering information through evidence, through pictures and employee interviews,” said Paul Saunier, Regional Health Director for the OSHA Roanoke office. “


Typically, Saunier said, these type of investigations take a couple of months to complete. The longest investigation he’s taken part in lasted six months, but he didn’t expect this one to take as long. While someone from the Roanoke office was at the facility Wednesday and Thursday, Saunier said they can’t say yet what triggered the explosion.

In the meantime, repair work is taking place at the facility, located at 10797 Woolwine Highway. Production has been shut down at the custom-made machinery plant, as work crews both clean up and repair damage done.

A spokesman for the company said while they’re not up to full capacity, the first day of repair work was going a lot faster than expected. Officials don’t have a timetable for when the plant will be operational again, but Saunier said when that happens, it will be a decision made by the company, not OSHA.

“It’s their decision when they can get production up and running,” Saunier said, adding that despite the investigation, the company will be allowed to reopen. “We have not closed or shut down the building.”

Three employees were injured in Wednesday’s explosion, which also caused internal and external damage to the building. That includes damage to the exterior wall, a portion of which caved in.

Local residents called the sheriff’s office at the time. Some told officials that they heard a noise like an explosion, while others described it as being similar to very loud gunshots.

Two of the three injured employees were released on Wednesday. The third was still being treated as of presstime.

In each case, the injured employees had to be taken out ofPatrick County, as there is no longer a working hospital in the area.

Pioneer Hospital closed in the fall of 2017 and remains shut, despite efforts to re-open the facility. It took a special vote of the General Assembly earlier this year for the hospital to keep its acute care license for another year. Otherwise, even if it does reopen, the facility would have to reapply for a license.

For major injuries, Patrick County residents now are taken to either Rocky Mount or Martinsville.

==================

Thomas Industrial Fabrication:


Thomas Industrial Fabrication specializes in the fabrication of custom-made machinery and build-to-print products. In addition, we provide material handling systems that vary from vacuum and pressure systems to belt and drag conveyor systems.

Our fabrications help companies improve their productivity and safety. By assisting in the entire systems layout and integration process, including procuring third-party prefabricated machinery, we are able to use our expertise to form a solution that meets our clients needs. We have contributed to the success of companies in a variety of industries, including: Beverage, Carpet, Energy and Power, Furniture, Flooring, Recycling, and Textile.

In addition, we form a collaborative team with engineers and manufacturing personnel to yield results that meet our customers needs. By providing design, fabrication, installation, field service, and troubleshooting assistance, we are able to assist our clients both with the initial layout and the continued use of their machinery.

We pride ourselves in our ability to work with our customers to provide a practical customized solution to meet their needs. Our use of 3-D drafting assists us in providing our customers with a solution that they can conceptualize, and aids us in creating a higher quality product.

U.S. District Court: Amazon not liable for battery fire that destroyed home because Amazon never exercised control over the laptop sufficient to make it a product seller under the Product Liability Act

Amazon not liable for laptop battery fire, court says in Allstate subrogation suit
Court rules Amazon can't be held liable as seller of a laptop battery that caught fire and destroyed a customer's home.

By Charles Toutant

July 31, 2018



Kathleen Cancel of Farmingdale, N.J., purchased a battery for her daughter’s computer on July 31, 2016. On Sept. 9, 2016, after the laptop was left sitting on her daughter’s bed, a fire started.

A federal judge in New Jersey has ruled that Amazon.com can’t be held liable as the seller of a laptop battery that allegedly caught fire and destroyed the customer’s home.

Losses from fire

In a suit brought by Allstate to recoup its losses from the fire, the judge found that Amazon can’t be considered a seller of the product under the New Jersey Product Liability Act because the company’s involvement in the sale was minimal.

According to the decision, the customer ordered the battery from Amazon’s website, and Amazon’s name appeared on her credit card statement for the $12 purchase. The battery was shipped from an Amazon warehouse in Virginia, after an Amazon employee retrieved it from a shelf and prepared it for shipping — with a cardboard box and tape that both bore Amazon’s logo.


But, U.S. District Judge Freda Wolfson said, Amazon never took ownership of the battery, which was sold by a Hong Kong company called E-life that is not subject to service of process in the U.S.

Allstate, which brought suit seeking to recover money it paid out in insurance claims on the fire, said Amazon met the definition of a seller under New Jersey’s products liability statute.

But Wolfson on Tuesday granted Amazon’s motion for summary judgment, finding it did not meet the definition of seller because it did not decide what product to sell; nor did it procure the product from the manufacturer or upstream distributor, or ensure that it complied with applicable laws.

Amazon’s business model

The case sheds light on Amazon’s business model, which involves three types of transactions with consumers, according to the decision. 

The first is the direct sale of its own, Amazon-branded products to consumers;
Second is the sale of products directly from a vendor to a consumer, with Amazon merely providing means for the vendor to advertise the product and the consumer to order it; and,

Finally, the sale of a product from a vendor to a consumer, with Amazon fulfilling the transaction by holding the product in its inventory and shipping it to the consumer.

The first transaction type, Wolfson said, clearly qualifies Amazon as a product seller under the New Jersey Product Liability Act, and under the second model, it certainly would not be considered a product seller.


But the transaction in the present case falls into the third category, which she said is the “grayest” of the three.

According to the decision, Kathleen Cancel of Farmingdale purchased the battery for her daughter’s computer on July 31, 2016. On Sept. 9, 2016, after the laptop was left sitting on her daughter’s bed, a fire started.

Allstate filed the case in New Jersey Superior Court in Monmouth County on March 8, 2017, and Amazon removed it to federal court on April 21, 2017.

Distribution chain

Allstate asserted that, under New Jersey law, Amazon is a party within the distribution chain, making it the product’s seller. Allstate also argued that public policy supports holding Amazon liable as a product seller.

Wolfson noted that, under New Jersey’s strict products liability law, a consumer injured by a defective product can generally bring suit against any business entity in the chain of distribution. But despite the law’s broad language and its expansive interpretation by state courts, the reach of the Product Liability Act is not boundless. “Not every party involved in the distribution process can be classified as a ‘product seller,’” Wolfson said.  

“New Jersey courts, in cases involving intermediaries in the distribution process, look to whether the intermediary’s role ‘was that of a facilitator rather than an “active participant” in the transaction,’” Wolfson said, quoting from case law.

Amazon merely facilitating transaction

In the present case, Amazon “never exercised control over the product sufficient to make it a ‘product seller’ under the Product Liability Act,” Wolfson said. Amazon’s agreement with E-life provides the content for the product listing on the Amazon site, and Amazon did not control the price of the product, as Allstate contended, she said.

Thus, “a buyer who purchases an E-life product on Amazon is engaging in a transaction with the seller that Amazon is merely facilitating,” Wolfson said.

Allstate argued that Amazon should be considered a seller for public policy reasons because the company is well-positioned to push costs up the distribution chain. Amazon and E-life, which is also known as Lenoge, have not identified the manufacturer of the battery, and Allstate may not be able to sue Lenoge, the carrier contended.


Allowing an injured plaintiff to sue a party that can shift the risk up the distribution chain would support the consumer protection goals of products liability law, but other policies underpinning the law — chiefly, setting limits on the reach of products liability — “are stronger counterweights,” Wolfson said.

Citing the New Jersey Supreme Court’s 1996 decision in Zaza v. Marquess & Nell, Wolfson said “stretching the case law to capture Amazon’s activities in this case would conflict with the spirit of the law.”

She added that courts “should be cautious in expanding the law when doing so would impose a substantial economic burden on these businesses and individuals, without necessarily achieving the goal of enhanced product safety.”

Amazon also asserted that it was immune from liability under Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act, which says online intermediaries that host or republish speech are protected against a range of laws that might otherwise be used to hold them legally responsible for what others say and do.

The court, however, did not reach that question.

Christopher Konzelmann of White & Williams in Philadelphia, who represented Allstate, declined to comment.

Amazon’s lawyer, Beth Rose of Sills Cummis & Gross in Newark, did not return a call about the case.

Controlling lead exposure from water is more complicated than simply adding corrosion control chemicals to reduce the solubility of lead minerals

Revealing the Complicated Nature of Tap Water Lead Contamination: A Madison, Wisconsin, Case Study




Published July 30, 2018

In 1992, the City of Madison, Wisconsin, found concentrations of lead in their drinking water exceeding the 90th percentile action level of 0.015 mg/L set by EPA. Lead (Pb) is a naturally-occurring metal that was commonly used in household plumbing materials, such as lead service lines and leaded solder joints, before limits were set on its use in 1986.

However, in houses built before 1986, lead pipes can still be in use. Lead is rarely found in source water, but it can enter tap water as the water enters pipes with lead in older systems. Since some homes have lead service lines, the water coming into the house may be transported via lead pipes even though there are no lead pipes inside the home. Brass plumbing fixtures can also contain small amounts of lead.

The Madison Water Utility chose to implement full lead service line replacement from 2001 through 2011 to eliminate the most significant source of lead in its water system. In 2003, sixty home taps were monitored after full lead service line replacement. They found that lead levels in the first liter of water were still high at some sites where the lead service line pipes had mostly been replaced within the previous four years. This phenomenon had been seen in other water systems, which had puzzled drinking water practitioners as to why elevated lead levels could persist for so long.

Coincident to the Madison Water Utility studies before and after the lead service line replacement program, lead service lines had been harvested from the water system and sent to EPA scientists. The EPA had the instrumentation and unique expertise to search for clues of lead release in pipe scales. That is, the materials that build up on the inside of pipes display chemical characteristics that reflect the chemical processes occurring in the water system, including the release of lead. The EPA conducted detailed analyses—color, texture, mineralogical and elemental composition--on five lead service pipe samples excavated between 2001 and 2006 from two different Madison neighborhoods.

Before the lead service line replacement program, Madison’s water was delivered by an estimated 8000 lead service lines, which had been in service for 75 years or longer. The city’s drinking water originated from numerous wells. The first set of lead service lines studied by EPA revealed that a highly insoluble and protective lead oxide compound had formed on the pipe walls. If all lead pipe walls had this formation, high lead releases would not be expected in the water system.

However, the second set of lead service lines came from a different neighborhood in the city. This neighborhood was fed by wells that were rich in manganese and iron. Both manganese and iron can form scales and accumulate metals, such as lead, from upstream sources especially from upstream corroded lead pipes. EPA’s results revealed that the accumulation of manganese and iron from the well water onto pipe walls had adsorbed lead and had the potential to crumble from the pipe walls and carry the lead to consumers’ taps by means of the scale particulate matter entrained in the water. This finding corroborated with the results of the 2003 study where the higher lead concentration found at consumers’ taps was mostly in particulate form. The presence of the manganese and iron scale on the pipe walls was the reason for high lead release in parts of the Madison water system, before and even after the lead pipes were removed.

As the 2003 residential study had shown, once the principal lead source was removed, it took more than four years in some cases for the accumulated lead to be released, which explains why lead levels remained high after the lead pipes had been replaced. Eventually, removing the source of lead did eliminate the significant lead concentration and achieved compliance with EPA’s regulations.

Overall, this research showed that controlling lead exposure from water is more complicated than simply adding corrosion control chemicals to reduce the solubility of lead minerals. Buildup of manganese and iron scale in water pipes should also be considered as a source for accumulating and releasing lead, and other contaminants of concern, into water. What happened in Madison highlights the importance of analyzing pipe scales to understand how lead accumulates and releases into the water over time. This EPA research received both the 2015 American Water Works Association’s Distribution & Plant Operations Division Best Paper Award and the overall Journal of the American Water Works Association’s overall Best Paper Award.

References:

Schock, M., Cantor, A., Triantafyllidou, S., Desantis, M. Importance of Fe and Mn Pipe Deposits to Lead and Copper Rule Compliance. Journal American Water Works Association (JAWWA) 106:7, pp. E336-E349, 2014

Schock, M. R.; Hyland, R. N.; Welch, M. M. Occurrence of Contaminant Accumulation in Lead Pipe Scales from Domestic Drinking-Water Distribution Systems. ES&T 2008, 42 (12), 4285-4291.

Cantor, A.F. Diagnosing Corrosion Problems through Differentiation of Metal Fractions. Journal American Water Works Association (JAWWA) 98:1, pp. 117-126, 2006.

Lytle, D.A., Schock, M.R. Formation of Pb(IV) Oxides in Chlorinated Water. Journal American Water Works Association (JAWWA) 97:11, pp. 102-114, 2005.

DuPont will pay a $3.1 million civil penalty after four worker died following the release of highly toxic 24,000 pounds of methyl mercaptan within the Lannate unit at its La Porte, Texas facility

The Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Department of Justice have entered into a Stipulation of Settlement with DuPont to address alleged accident prevention violations at its former La Porte, TX chemical manufacturing facility.

DuPont will pay a $3.1 million civil penalty. The company, now known as DowDuPont,shut down the plant.

“Accidental releases of methyl mercaptan can be extremely dangerous,” said EPA Region 6 Compliance Assurance and Enforcement Director Cheryl Seager. “This settlement ensures the rule of law is being followed by DuPont and emphasizes the importance of implementing risk management programs to protect our communities and our workers.”

On November 15, 2014, an incident occurred and nearly 24,000 pounds of methyl mercaptan was released within the Lannate unit at its La Porte, Texas facility. Methyl mercaptan is a highly toxic, highly flammable chemical that can cause asphyxiation. The release resulted in the deaths of four persons inside the Lannate manufacturing building. The four employees died from a combination of asphyxia and acute exposure to methyl mercaptan.

EPA, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, and the Chemical Safety Board all conducted inspections or investigations after the incident. The Lannateunit was shut down after the incident.

The Chemical Safety Board issued Interim Recommendations from its investigation on September 30, 2015. In March of 2016, DuPont announced that it was closing the facility.

The Complaint alleges 22 separate violations of the Clean Air Act’s Risk Management Program at DuPont’s former La Porte, Texas facility. The violations alleged in the Complaint include: 

• failure to develop and implement written operating procedures
• failure to adequately implement management of change procedures
• failure to implement safe work practices
• mechanical integrity violations

No injunctive relief was required since the facility is no longer in operation, the EPA reported.

DuPont, which has long nurtured its reputation for safe practices in a dangerous industry, was roundly criticized after the accident. A few detractors claimed the company’s cost-cutting efforts were taking precedence over safety.

Residents were evacuated after a pressurized tanker truck leaked toxic acrylamide 50 gas at the Gator Environmental Services LLC on Airline Highway in Baton Rouge, LA

Baton Fire Department working a chemical leak at the Gator Environmental Services LLC on Airline Highway

 Crews clear chemical leak off Airline Highway; evacuated residents allowed to return home

July 30, 2018 12:18 PM in News
Source: WBRZ
By: Jeremy Krail


UPDATE: Officials with the Baton Rouge Fire Department have said that the incident is under control and residents may return to their homes Monday evening.

*****

BATON ROUGE, LA - Crews are responding to reports of a tanker leaking a gaseous chemical near a trailer park Monday.

The leak was reported just after noon Monday near the intersection of Airline Highway and Evangeline Street. Authorities say residents are being evacuated from the nearby Once Around trailer park as HazMat officers work to clear the pressurized tanker truck leaking acrylamide 50, a mixed chemical.  It is used as a polymer and it can produce toxic gas upon decomposition.



Baton Rouge fire officials say the truck has an inhibitor to prevent a chemical reaction, but that device appears to be out-of-date and failing. The mixture reportedly began to heat up, but the tank is now venting the gas in order to prevent an explosion.

BRPD says Airline Highway is still open as of 12:30 p.m.

There are about 36 homes in the trailer park on Victoria Drive. A CATS bus is being directed to the Eden Park Branch Library in order to pick up residents and transport them to the shelter location at Gus Young Park. Red Cross is en route to the park to set up the shelter.

A spokesperson at the mayor's office says emergency crews are planning to accommodate between 150 and 200 evacuees in the upcoming days. "We think it could be overnight, but it could go into the next couple of days," Rachel Haney told WBRZ.

No injuries have been reported.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates.

Four workers were injured at the American Crystal Sugar factory in Hillsboro, ND after nitric acid accidentally spilled from a tank when a fitting on a pump failed

Four injured in chemical spill at Hillsboro American Crystal plant
By April Baumgarten

July 30, 2018


HILLSBORO, N.D.—

Four people were injured this weekend at the American Crystal Sugar factory in Hillsboro after chemicals accidentally spilled from a tank.

Emergency crews responded shortly after 8:30 a.m. Saturday to the sugar plant 2 miles north of Hillsboro. American Crystal workers were pumping nitric acid from a chemical container into a tank inside the plant when a fitting on the pump failed, Traill County Sheriff Steve Hunt said. Nitric acid spilled from the pump, sending four workers to the hospital, Hunt said.

The workers were taken to Sanford Hillsboro Medical Center by private vehicle but were released shortly after medical staff determined the injuries were minor, Hunt said.

"Basically, it was precautionary," he said.

The entire plant was evacuated for several hours, and workers were allowed to return after 4:30 p.m. Saturday, Hunt said. There were few workers at the plant since American Crystal is in between its busier parts of the year. Most of the workers that were on site were doing maintenance work, Hunt added.

Multiple agencies, including the Traill County Sheriff's Department, Hillsboro Fire Department and Grand Forks hazmat team, responded to the incident. Emergency crews worked quickly to clear the area, Hunt said.

This type of spill is rare for the American Crystal plant in Hillsboro, Hunt said.

"I've been here for 18½ years," he said. "This is the second incident I responded to out there of this nature."

================

How We Make Sugar

Sugar Beet Handling

Sugar beets are harvested in mid-to-late autumn when sugar content peaks.
The leafy sugar beet tops are sliced off and the roots are lifted out of the ground with special harvesting equipment.
The harvested sugar beets are trucked from the field to one of 38 receiving stations where they are weighed, sampled and tested for sugar quality, unloaded and piled.
The sugar beets are stored in long trapezoid-shaped piles. Some of the sugar beet piles have large culverts running underneath them. At end of the culverts are fans that blow cold winter air through the culverts to cool down and freeze the piles to better preserve the sugar contained in the beets. Other piles are stored in large sheds which use similar culvert technology to freeze the stored sugar beets.
The sugar beets are trucked from outside receiving stations to factories throughout the processing campaign for sugar processing.

Factory Control

The following processes are controlled through state-of-the-art computerized flow and monitoring systems. The systems are operated from a central control room to optimize operations throughout the many functional areas of the factory.

Washing

Sugar beets entering the factory must first go through a washing process. A large paddle wheel lifts the sugar beets to the washers, where they are rolled against each other in water, removing dirt and debris. This water then goes to a holding pond or wastewater facility for treatment. 

Slicing

After washing, the sugar beets enter the slicer where razor-sharp, corrugated knives cut the sugar beets into long, white, french-fry looking strings called cossettes. They are then transported to the cossette mixer where they are mixed with hot juice and pumped into the bottom of the diffuser.

Diffusion

In the diffuser, the sugar is diffused out of the sugar beet cossettes by using very hot water. The raw beet sugar juice stays in the lower part of the diffuser while the remaining sugar beet cossette pulp moves up and out of the top of the diffuser.
The pulp goes through a separate process where it is put into presses, which squeeze out most of the water. Then it is heat-dried in huge drying systems before it is pressed into beet pulp pellets as livestock feed.

Purification

The raw sugar juice leaves the bottom of the diffuser to go through several purifying and filtering steps. During this process the raw juice is clarified and filtered to remove impurities, remaining solids and fine particles.

Evaporation

Through a series of evaporators, the juice is heated with steam to evaporate the natural water and filtered once more, concentrating it into dark caramel syrup.

Crystallization

The syrup then enters the crystallization process. The sugar juice syrup is carefully boiled and seeded with microscopic sugar crystals to start the crystallization process. When the crystals reach their desired size, a rich mixture of crystals and beet molasses syrup is formed.
 The sugar crystals are separated from the beet molasses syrup in a large, high-speed spinning drum or centrifuge. These crystals are now 99.9% pure white sugar. The crystals move into the granulator where they are then dried, cooled and separated according to size.
The remaining molasses syrup still contains some sugar, which is claimed through additional processes called molasses desugarization. The remaining beet molasses ends up as liquid agri-product used as a livestock feed additive.

Sugar Handling

The granulated sugar is then advanced to huge storage silos. Most of the sugar is shipped by train in bulk railcars to manufacturers as a primary ingredient for candy, baked goods, cereals, and other fine products.
 Sugar for grocery stores is packaged into bags that range from 2 pounds to 25 pounds. The automatic packaging lines can fill 4-pound bags at a rate of more than 2 bags per second. A portion of our sugar is finely ground to make powdered sugar while another portion of the sugar is turned into light brown and dark brown sugar.

15 people have been taken to a local hospital after they were exposed to an ammonia leak in the frozen foods Bird's Eye Food plant in Darien, Wis.

Several employees taken to hospital following reported ammonia leak at Birds Eye in Darien 

New Jersey-based Pinnacle Foods, which owns Birds Eye, said several employees were taken to the hospital but no other details were immediately available.
 
July 30, 2018
Posted By: CNN Wire


Walworth County authorities say 15 people have been taken to a local hospital after they were exposed to an ammonia leak in the Bird's Eye Food plant in Darien this morning. At this time there is no information on the type of injuries suffered or the conditions of the employees.

Walworth County Sheriff Kurt Picknell said the leak was reported around 5:15 AM Sunday. He said there were 140 employees in the plant at the time of the leak. Besides the 15 injured employees, Sheriff Picknell said 75 employees were evaluated at the scene and determined to be okay.

According to Sheriff Picknell, the ammonia leak occurred in one area of the building. The cause of the leak has not been determined, said Sheriff Picknell. Ammonia, he said, is used for refrigeration in the plant.

About 100 emergency personnel from multiple agencies responded to the early morning hazmat call. Sheriff Picknell said crews are going through the building now to determine when it will be safe to return. He said there was no fire and the leak posed no threat to the community.

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration has been notified of the incident. 

Ammonia is used at the facility for the freezing and cooling of food.

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WALWORTH COUNTY, Wis. (CBS 58) -- A statement from Bird's Eye says that most of the people taken to the hospital have been released, but three are still there for observation.
The company thanks first responders for helping their employees and "assessing conditions in the plant."

The exact cause of the leak is under investigation. 
Ammonia is used at the facility for the freezing and cooling of food.

New Jersey-based Pinnacle Foods, which owns Birds Eye, said several employees were taken to the hospital but no other details were immediately available.
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Updated: 2:50 p.m. July 29, 2018

WALWORTH COUNTY, Wis. (CBS 58) -- Racine Fire Chief Steve Hansen of the Regional HAZMAT Response Team, briefed the media this afternoon about the hazmat response to the Bird’s Eye Food plant in Darien. Hansen said that a mechanical failure is believed to have caused the leak of ammonia gas into the food plant. The exact source of the leak has not yet been found.

Hansen said the 15 people exposed to the gas were taken to five area hospitals. The patients were exposed to the gas and received inhalation related injuries.

HAZMAT crews will remain on the scene for several hours as they search for any residual ammonia gas in the plant. Hansen said the gas is concentrated in specific areas of the plant while other areas are gas free. Various methods are being used to ventilate the plant, including the use of several airboats being used to blow the gas out of the building.
Hansen said neighbors around the plant should not be concerned and all roads in the area are now open to traffic.

Besides OSHA, the EPA has also been notified of this morning’s ammonia leak.
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Updated: 2:30 p.m. July 29, 2018

WALWORTH COUNTY, Wis. (CBS 58) -- Walworth County authorities say 15 people have been taken to a local hospital after they were exposed to an ammonia leak in the Bird’s Eye Food plant in Darien this morning.   At this time there is no information on the type of injuries suffered  or  the  conditions of the employees. 
 
Walworth County Sheriff Kurt Picknell said the leak was reported around 5:15 AM Sunday.  He said there were 140 employees in the plant at the time of the leak.   Besides the 15 injured employees, Sheriff Picknell said 75 employees were  evaluated at the scene and determined to be okay.

According to Sheriff Picknell, the ammonia leak occurred in one area of the building.   The cause of the leak has not been determined, said Sheriff Picknell.   Ammonia, he said, is used for refrigeration in the plant.

About 100 emergency personnel from multiple agencies responded to the early morning hazmat call.   Sheriff Picknell said crews are going through the building now to determine when it will be safe to return.   He said there was no fire and the leak posed no threat to the community.

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration has been notified of the incident.
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Updated: 9:45 a.m. July 29, 2018

WALWORTH COUNTY, Wis. (CBS 58) -- Authorities responded to a hazmat situation at the Bird’s Eye Food plant in Darien early this morning.  The Walworth County Sheriff’s Office confirmed there was a report of an ammonia leak at the plant along Walworth County Road X in Darien. The leak was reported around 6 a.m. The road in front of the plant was closed to traffic as hazmat crews from a number of fire departments responded to the situation. The road was reopened to traffic around 9:30 AM.

In a statement just released, Pinnacle Foods, which owns the Bird’s Eye brand, said that several  employees were exposed to hazardous materials in the Darien plant and have been taken to a local hospital for treatment.  The number of employees injured has not been released.   In the statement, the company said, “The safety of our employees is our top priority and focus right now.” 

The Walworth County Sheriff’s Office and officials from the Bird’s Eye plant are expected to address the media Sunday morning.
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Posted: 7 a.m. July 29, 2018

WALWORTH COUNTY, Wis. (CBS 58) -- The Walworth County Dispatch Center confirms that multiple agencies are responding to a reported ammonia leak.

It reportedly happened early Sunday morning at the plant located on Hwy X in the Village of Darien.

Pinnacle Foods, the owner of Birds Eye, released the following statement:
"There is a situation involving hazardous materials in our plant in Darien, WI. The safety of our employees is our top priority and focus right now. Several employees have been taken to the hospital for medical attention. No further details are available at this time."
 CBS 58 News currently has a crew headed to the scene and will bring updates as they become available.
Stay with CBS 58 News for more information on this developing story.
 

Rumpke employee, David J. Evans, 52, of Cincinnati, was killed by reckless driver Brian A. Jankovich, age 41, of Middletown, who struck Evans and the rear of the stopped Rumpke truck in Middletown, Ohio

David J. Evans

• Rear Load driver at Rumpke
• Former Driver at Rumpke
• Went to La Salle High School
• Lives in Cincinnati
• From Cincinnati
• Married

Middletown, Ohio
 
The Rumpke employee who was pinned between the back of a trash truck and a pickup truck has died, according to the Ohio Highway Patrol.

A preliminary investigation shows that David J. Evans, 52, of Cincinnati, had stopped the Rumpke truck on Central Avenue. While he was at the rear of the truck collecting trash, a tan 2002 Chevrolet Avalanche, operated by Brian A. Jankovich, age 41, of Middletown, struck Evans and the rear of the Rumpke truck, according to the Ohio Highway Patrol.

Evans was transported via Air Care to Miami Valley Hospital where he was pronounced dead.

Jankovich was transported to Atrium Medical Center with serious non-life threatening injuries.

The crash remains under investigation by the Ohio State Highway Patrol - Hamilton Post.

The Rumpke company was “devastated” to learn that one of its employees has died, said Molly Yeager, manager of corporate communications.

She said Rumpke is a “family” business and losing an employee is “a hard loss.”

“Like a family member,” she said.

Evans had worked for Rumpke for 15 years, she said.

UPDATE @ 8:56 a.m.:

A Rumpke employee was pinned between the back of the trash truck and a pickup truck in a crash Monday morning.

The employee, who was only identified as a male, was airlifted to Miami Valley Hospital and is in critical condition, according to Lt. Clint Arnold of the Hamilton Highway Patrol Post.

The driver of the pickup truck, also a male, was transported to Atrium Medical Center in Middletown and is in serious condition, Arnold said.

According to Arnold, the driver of the pickup truck struck the back of the garbage truck while the Rumpke employee was working outside. The employee was stuck between the two vehicles.

“It’s very important to pay attention to what’s ahead of you,” Arnold said.

It was apparent the pickup truck did not see the garbage truck that was in front of him, Arnold said.

Officials do not believe speed was a factor. The speed limit in the area is 35 miles per hour. Arnold said the driver was most likely driving at that speed.

The Rumpke truck was properly lit, and the employee was wearing his florescent vest, Arnold said.

Police are not releasing the names of the individuals involved at this time.

No other individuals were involved in the crash.

Police said they are still investigating.

FIRST REPORT:

CareFlight was requested to a possible pedestrian strike involving a Rumpke trash truck in Middletown.

Emergency crews responded to the accident with possible entrapment at Marshall Road and Central Avenue around 6:30 a.m., according to initial reports.

It’s unknown how many vehicles were involved at this time.

We are working to learn more and will update this page as information becomes available.