Documents show prior citations before blast at Tenn. facility

[Jilly_in_VA]

As investigators continue to comb through the wreckage of an explosion in Tennessee that left 18 people unaccounted for Friday, Nexstar’s WKRN has learned more about the company that operated the facility.

Accurate Energetic Systems is a defense and commercial explosives manufacturer. Documents revealed that there were several Tennessee Occupational Safety and Health Administration violations at the facility.

In 2019, the company received “serious” citations related to residue of cyclonite, an explosive powder, in areas where employees are permitted to consume food and drink. Cyclonite “could result in central nervous system impairment.” That same year, two employees experienced seizures and had the potential to be exposed to cyclonite while working in what documents called a “Hot House.” A discussion between an employer representative and a TOSHA representative evolved to a discussion about personal protective equipment.

“The employer explained that employees were provided with the option to wear long sleeves in the work place but they do not want to go to the extreme with PPE because their cyclonite is coated with a wax and therefore it wouldn’t be easily absorbed through the skin,” the document reads, in part. “The TOSHA representative explained that cyclonite has a skin designation and it is the employer’s responsibility to eliminate/reduce employee’s skin exposure.”

The serious violation found that “the employer had not ensured that surfaces in the break room including the table and microwave were kept free from the hazardous chemical cyclonite.” In the end, the company settled with the state and paid $7,200 in fines, agreed to make several changes and reclassified the citations to other-than-serious.

https://www.wate.com/news/previous-violations-reported-prior-to-massive-explosion-at-middle-tennessee-facility-documents/

This is what happens when the government just "fines" a company. People die. How many times...