[CPEO-MEF] SAFETY, PERCHLORATE: Citation for Redstone (AL) explosion

[Lenny Siegel <lsiegel@cpeo.org>]

Amtec Corp. cited for safety violations after explosion kills 2 workers

News Wires
Reliable Plant
November ?, 2010

The U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health 
Administration has cited Amtec Corporation, a contractor at the U.S. 
Army's Space & Missile Defense Command, Redstone Arsenal, in Huntsville, 
Ala., for safety violations following an explosion that killed two workers.

In May, two workers were killed after suffering third-degree burns over 
90 percent of their bodies as a result of an explosion involving 
ammonium perchlorate and n-Butanol. The workers were attempting to 
purify the ammonium perchlorate by removing it from a mixture that also 
contained n-Butanol. A decanter centrifuge separated the ammonium 
perchlorate and n-Butanol mixture. During the separation process, an 
explosion occurred.

"Management knew the hazards associated with ammonium perchlorate 
recovery and failed to ensure the proper equipment was being used, while 
also allowing the workers to process the material in excess of 10 times 
the amount of explosives according to the Army's standard operating 
procedures," said Roberto Sanchez, OSHA's area director in Birmingham, Ala.

...

For the entire article, see
http://www.reliableplant.com/Read/27342/Amtec-cited-safety-violations

--


Lenny Siegel
Executive Director, Center for Public Environmental Oversight
a project of the Pacific Studies Center
278-A Hope St., Mountain View, CA 94041
Voice: 650/961-8918 or 650/969-1545
Fax: 650/961-8918
<lsiegel@cpeo.org>
http://www.cpeo.org



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