Where I Stand — Mike O’Callaghan: The kind of Nevada history we don’t want repeated

Friday, Jan. 16, 1998 | 10:08 a.m.

IMMEDIATELY AFTER THE ACCIDENT, the governor moved quickly to appoint a special commission to examine the adequacy of Nevada regulations pertaining to the manufacture, storage and transportation of dangerous materials.

The above paragraph sounds much like what came out of Carson City after the Sierra Chemical Co. explosion near Reno last week. Actually, it recalls the actions of Gov. Richard Bryan in May 1988, after the deadly PEPCON blast in Henderson.

The report on the Henderson tragedy, written by the United Steelworkers of America, tells us:

"The Commission's report was issued Aug. 10. The Commission made 43 recommendations in the areas of fire protection, health and safety, zoning, insurance, community planning and response, and transportation. The health and safety recommendations included tougher penalties, the authority to shut down a facility until serious hazards are corrected, greater employee involvement in safety programs, public access to inspection reports, increased inspector training and new standards for hazardous industries. Few of the Commission's recommendations have been adopted to date, but in November Commission Chairman Bob Miller became governor when (Richard) Bryan was elected to the U.S. Senate. Gov. Miller is expected to make the recommendations a high priority in his administration."

Now, almost 10 years later, we have a deadly explosion in Northern Nevada with several deaths, and Gov. Bob Miller has appointed another task force headed up by a very competent Adjutant General Tony Clark. Miller told the press that this kind of tragedy cannot be repeated in Nevada. "No matter what the cause of the tragic incident, I am convinced we must consider this a prime opportunity for a top-to-bottom evaluation of our current policies regulating these dangerous substances."

I'm sure that Clark will first go back over the report made in 1988 to evaluate what changes it resulted in after being issued. The changes of law that regulate Nevada industry come about very slowly. For example, it was the powerful mining industry that did everything possible to stop and/or alter the Nevada "Chemical Catastrophe Prevention Act," finally passed in 1991. They opposed it because their chemical suppliers wanted the bill gutted. The Sierra Chemical Co. makes explosive boosters for the miners.

The Sierra workers are mostly from Mexico and are pieceworkers. A survivor of the blast told the Reno Gazette-Journal, "They hired me because I was speaking enough English to make the supervisor job." The newspaper went on to explain that 12 people working on the day shift and another 12 on the night shift mostly spoke Spanish. The supervisor was asked to translate safety instructions, including those from a safety class given in English last year.

Tony Clark has a tough assignment during the coming weeks. Already, the lack of local inspections has become known and the problems will become even more clear as the task force digs into the rubble left behind.

For the thousands of people who have moved to Clark County since the PEPCON explosion, the 1988 USWA report may be interesting.

"In addition to the two deaths, roughly 350 PEPCON workers and Henderson residents were injured, primarily by cuts and abrasions from flying glass and debris, bruises and sprains from being knocked down by the shock waves, and broken eardrums from the concussion. Most recovered quickly; several people sustained head injuries, requiring more extensive care. In other disasters, some survivors suffered delayed psychological trauma. Such problems can be expected in Henderson.

"The blasts damaged more than 50 percent of the buildings in Henderson, forcing shops, offices and schools to close. Some families had to seek temporary shelter. The damage was initially estimated at more than $70 million, $23 million of which is uninsured. Thousands of claims have been filed. Litigation is expected to continue for years. ..."

Yes, it even rattled the windows of the SUN, then down on Martin Luther King Boulevard, and opened garage doors near Nellis Air Force Base.

Let's hope this kind of history isn't repeated again someplace in Nevada 10 years from now.