Tacoma foundry fined for October explosion

Tacoma foundry fined for October explosion

A viewer took this photo from a house on on Sprague Avenue in Tacoma.

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Story Published: Apr 4, 2008 at 2:59 PM PDT

Story Updated: Apr 4, 2008 at 3:00 PM PDT

By KOMO Staff

TUMWATER - The state Department of Labor and Industries has fined a Tacoma foundry in connection with a huge liquefied-propane gas explosion that killed a truck driver and caused extensive damage last October near Interstate 5.

An investigation by the state agency found three serious violations of workplace safety and heath regulations by Atlas Castings and Technology that contributed to the explosion.

A fourth violation - not involved in the accident - was cited for not having an emergency shutoff valve in the piping to protect against uncontrolled discharge of propane gas.

The proposed penalties total $19,200.

The investigation found that Atlas workers had improperly repaired the foundry's damaged LP-gas fill hose, attaching the fill nozzle using fasteners that were not designed to withstand pressurized gas.

On Oct. 6, a delivery driver took the improperly repaired fill hose and began to unload the gas from his 8,000-gallon tanker truck. Within seconds, the hose detached from its connection to the truck's tank, allowing propane gas to rapidly flow from the open valve and fill the air with the explosive gas.

In less than a minute the LP gas ignited, and the first explosion engulfed the truck and fill area. Eight minutes later, the heated tanker truck exploded in a huge fireball witnessed by hundreds of people in the area and heard up to a mile away.

The family of the truck driver who was fatally injured in the massive explosion last October has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Atlas.

The federal Department of Transportation also is investigating IXL Transport Services of Molalla, Ore., for possible procedural errors in the delivery of LP gas or mechanical failure of the cargo tank and trailer's emergency shutoff systems in a separate investigation that is not yet completed.

Atlas was cited for:

- Not properly training employees on the repair and maintenance of pressurized LP-gas systems.

- Using hose connections that were not rated for LP-gas service and would not withstand the pressure.

- Not testing the repaired hose after assembly to ensure it was free from leaks under normal use.

- Not having a shutoff valve with means of remote control to protect against uncontrolled discharge of LP gas from piping close to the point where the piping and hose connected.

The company has 15 days to appeal the citation.


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