Founding of the West Fertilizer Plant
The West Fertilizer Plant was founded in 1962, and since then it has been supplying chemicals to farmers. On April 17, 2013, an explosion occurred in West Texas, in the company’s storage and distribution facility (Adams et al., 2018). The purpose of this paper is to discuss the explosion and explain what chemical is believed to be its cause, what happened to the plant, and how far away the blast was felt. Also, the answers to what type of damage happened, what had OSHA fined West Fertilizer for in the past, and what regulations or laws have changed since the explosion will be provided.
Effects of the explosion
In that terrible accident, more than one hundred and sixty people were injured, fifteen were killed, at least fifty-three people were left with traumatic concussions or brain injuries, and about one hundred and fifty buildings were destroyed or damaged. Later, the investigation confirmed that the material that exploded was ammonium nitrate (Adams et al., 2018). It is usually used as a fertilizers’ component and is a rather crucial chemical in the agricultural industry as it assists in the plants’ growth and some processes such as photosynthesis. The facility caught fire, and about twenty minutes later, emergency dispatchers got a report about the incident. The site exploded when firefighters were attempting to extinguish the flames, and the explosion created a ninety-three-foot-wide crater.
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) is an agency of the United States Department of Labor. Its last West Fertilizer Company inspection was in 1985 when it cited the plant for violating the respiratory protection standards and improperly storing anhydrous ammonia (Adams et al., 2018). The company was fined thirty dollars, although this sum could have been much more significant. In 2012, the company confirmed that there were 110,000 pounds of anhydrous ammonia and 540,000 pounds of ammonium nitrate stored on their site (Adams et al., 2018). However, one week after the explosion, it appeared that the plant did not report having the ammonium nitrate stock to the Homeland Security Secretary’s department. Moreover, the West Fertilizer Company had a long history of thefts, probably by those people who wanted to use anhydrous ammonia for making methamphetamine (Adams et al., 2018). The facility also did not have a fenced perimeter or any burglar alarms.
Unfortunately, the explosion was so strong and deadly that, in addition to the plant’s buildings, the public West Middle School, which was right next to the company, was seriously damaged. Also, a neighboring two-story apartment building and the nearby West Rest Haven nursing home were destroyed by the blast (Adams et al., 2018). Many residents were evacuated, several people from the nursing home got terrible cuts from flying glass, fortunately, not life-threatening. The threatening blast was heard in DeSoto, Waxahachie, Hillsboro, and even in Arlington. In Abbott, which is seven miles away from West, windows were blown out.
The results of the investigation
After the investigation, many details remained confusing, and the whole situation seemed not clear. Three years later, in 2016, “the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives announced the fire that caused the West Fertilizer Plant Explosion was set intentionally” (Adams et al., 2018, para. 6). There was even a “$50,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of the person or people responsible” (Adams et al., 2018, para. 6). Unfortunately, the criminal, if he or she was real, was never found. This terrible event made the authorities pass some new laws and rules concerning storing dangerous chemicals. In 2015, there was House Bill 942 passed by the Texas Legislature (Adams et al., 2018). It regulated inspection and storage of ammonium nitrate and, what is more, granted authority to local fire marshals and the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality to enforce and effect this regulation.
Reference
Adams, S., Rogers, C., & Caldwell, J. (2018). West fertilizer plant explosion: Five years later. WFMY-TV. Web.