Wednesday, April 15, 1998 | 4:42 a.m.
"The Nevada session will be the first such meeting in the board's brief history," said Paul Hill, chairman of the U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigative Board.
The board had just started operating when the Jan. 7 blast flattened the dynamite plant 12 miles east of Reno, killing four workers and injuring six.
A preliminary investigation by the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms concluded that an initial explosion occurred in a room where workers were mixing a volatile brew of chemicals. Seconds later, the force from that explosion hit a storage building containing 10,000 pounds of a highly explosive material called PETN.
The board created by Congress is modeled after the National Transportation Safety Board.
Its mission is to determine the causes of chemical accidents and to recommend changes to prevent similar accidents.
The board will hear testimony from on-site investigators as well as outside experts during the Reno hearing.
No public testimony will be taken, but people can submit written comments, Hill said.
A 13-member state panel also is investigating the explosion. The Clark Commission on Workplace Safety is reviewing state and local laws and regulations governing businesses that handle hazardous materials.
It also is reviewing the oversight of such businesses and enforcement of those laws and regulations to determine whether changes are needed.
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