3 Die In Plant Explosion
Three workers were critically burned at a Middle Tennessee chemical plant a day after company officials attended the funeral of one of two workers killed in a previous accident.
The Friday morning fire that injured five is the third since January at the Hoeganaes Corp. plant. The Gallatin facility makes metal powders, and the two previous accidents occurred after airborne flammable dust combusted.
Gallatin Assistant Fire Chief Tommy Dale said this fire was the result of an industrial gas leak. Federal and state officials are investigating.
Two weeks ago, an official with the U.S. Chemical Safety Board who investigated the two previous accidents criticized the company for not adequately addressing the danger posed by combustible dust.
Hoeganaes vice president for human resources Mike Mattingly said the company was “devastated.”
