Miller orders more checks for explosives businesses

Friday, June 5, 1998 | 11:53 a.m.

CARSON CITY -- Gov. Bob Miller today signed an emergency order directing the state to step up its inspection of businesses that manufacture and store explosives.

Miller also accepted a series of recommendations from his Commission on Workplace Safety and Community Protection, which was created after the explosion Jan. 7 at the Sierra Chemical Co., at Mustang, near Sparks.

These suggestions, when implemented, "will save lives and prevent injuries down the line," Miller said in a ceremony in his office attended by members of the commission headed by Adjutant General Tony Clark.

While there is no possible way to guarantee that there will never be another similar disaster, Miller said the suggestions "go a long way to making the workplace more safe."

The state Division of Industrial Relations has been on a schedule of inspecting plants that manufacture or store explosives every two years. The emergency order requires inspections every six months.

There are seven of these businesses in the state -- two that manufacture the explosives and five that store the materials for resale.

The governor also ordered the state Land Use Planning Agency to provide assistance to local governments in adopting ordinances that would provide a buffer between residential homes and plants that handle hazardous materials.

The state Fire Marshal's Office was directed by Miller to coordinate with other regulatory agencies to evaluate the local governments' enforcement of the Uniform Fire Code. There had not been periodic inspections of the Sierra Chemical facility by local officials in Washoe County for more than a year.

An emergency order was signed by Miller for his state Division of Emergency Management to work with Nevada's local governments to establish a standardized response to emergencies in which several jurisdictions or agencies are involved.

After the explosion, Sierra Chemical was cited by the Division of Industrial Relations for 38 safety violations. And it was ordered to pay a fine of $997,000. The company has appealed the fine to an administrative board. It contends sabotage was involved in touching off the explosion.

The governor has also directed that bills be drafted for presentation to the 1999 Legislature to give the Division of Industrial Relations more authority to regulate plants that manufacture and store explosives.