Fed board to hold hearing on Sierra Chemical blast

Thursday, April 16, 1998 | 11:19 a.m.

"All of us feel enormous sympathy for your grief these past three months," said Paul Hill, Chairman of the U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board.

"We cannot claim to know what you have gone through since the morning of Jan. 7. We can, however, make sure that we dedicate all possible resources to finding out what happened that morning and recommending what we can do . . . to make sure such a tragedy never happens again," he said.

Hill made his remarks at the opening of a hearing to gather testimony from investigators of the blast that killed four at the Sierra Chemical Co. plant 12 miles east of here. Six other workers were injured.

He said the goal of the investigation was to learn the ignition source that sparked the explosion and, more importantly, to find ways to reduce risks in the future.

He said the probe also will examine "any pre-incident knowledge of the risks posed to the manufacturing operation to assess what actions might have been taken and by whom to have either prevented this incident or to have lessened the potential that it would occur."

It marked the first hearing of the fledgling board, which had just begun to organize when the blast flattened the plant near Mustang.

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.

It 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.