Group seeks severe penalties against chemical company

Sandra Chereb

Monday, March 16, 1998 | 7:21 a.m.

RENO, Nev. - A coalition of workers' rights groups on Monday urged severe penalties against an explosives company where a deadly explosion killed four workers.

After a demonstration on the steps of the Washoe County Courthouse, advocates delivered a symbolic "warrant" to District Attorney Dick Gammick, calling for the arrest of Sierra Chemical Co.

"If it's not criminal, it should be," John Castro, state director of the League of United Latin American Citizens, said of the Jan. 7 blast at the company's plant in Mustang 12 miles east of here.

Bob Fulkerson, of the Progressive Leadership Alliance of Nevada, said state records show previous safety violations at the company's plants in Mustang and Battle Mountain that resulted in fines totaling $22,700 since 1990.

The January blast, Fulkerson said, "was the exclamation point at the end of a long sentence punctuated by these incidents."

Sierra Chemical attorney Bruce Laxalt called the demonstration "unfair and inappropriate," noting that multiple state and federal investigation have yet to reach any conclusion. He said the company was cooperating with those investigations.

"Two community activists have chosen a publicity stunt to try the case in the media. This is a callous act," Laxalt said. "The families of the victims, Sierra Chemical's workers and the community deserve a more careful and impartial review of these complex issues."

Most of the plant workers were Hispanic who spoke little if any English. Some were illegal immigrants. The company has disputed complaints by former workers that they received little or no training.

Tom Stoneburner, president of Alliance for Workers Rights, charged that Sierra Chemical put profits ahead of worker safety and should be held accountable.

"The citizenship status of these employees does not matter," Stoneburner said. "The minute they punched in at the time clock they became Nevada workers."

The groups said they will lobby the Legislature for tougher inspection programs and stiffer penalties for safety violations.

"Our goal is to make sure this never again happens in Nevada," Fulkerson said.

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 touched off a storage building containing 10,000 pounds of a highly explosive material called PETN.

Gov. Bob Miller appointed a 13-member commission to investigate the blast. The commission's third meeting will be held Wednesday in Reno. A report is due June 1.

Various other state and local agencies, as well as the newly created federal Chemical Safety Board, are also investigating. The federal board is planning to hold a public hearing in Reno before it issues a final report, though no date has been set.

Gammick said any findings of potential criminal violations found by investigating agencies would be forwarded to his office for review and possible prosecution.