Just weeks after an Imperial Sugar plant in Georgia was devastated by a combustible dust explosion (which claimed another life last Friday, bringing the death toll to thirteen), it is discovered that another Imperial plant -- this one in Gramercy, Louisiana -- is full of the stuff:
NEW ORLEANS — More than a month after an explosion killed 13 workers at its Georgia sugar refinery, the Imperial Sugar Co. has shut down a section of its Louisiana plant out of concern for combustible dust.
Imperial said it closed down its powdered sugar operations at its Gramercy facility on Friday after inspectors with the Occupational Safety and Health Administration found potentially combustible dust there.
"There was a very thick dust level," said Edwin G. Foulke Jr., the assistant secretary of Labor for OSHA. The dust, he said, caused an "imminent danger situation."
Good news if you're a manager in the sugar business, though! Apparently having one of your plants actually explode and another one that could have exploded at any time is not enough to get the regulators really agitated:
"I'm a little bit disappointed" with Imperial Sugar given what happened in Savannah, Foulke said.
A little bit disappointed? That's all?
I wonder how long it will be until OSHA takes a page from another Federal agency...
Sleep tight, America -- OSHA is hard at work keeping you safe!
UPDATE (March 19): The Weekly Toll blog, which memorializes workers who have died at work, is gathering signatures on a petition demanding that OSHA issue a standard for combustible dust. They're aiming to get 500 signatures and 190 people have signed so far. You can sign it here -- I've added my name, so what are you waiting for?
Comments (2)
Comments posted to CtW Connect are the sole property of the individual posting them, and do not necessarily reflect the viewpoints of Change to Win, its affiliated unions, or its leadership.
Thank you Jason for the comment and for keeping us up to date on this terrible mess, I have also wrote an update to the story at Joe's Union Review, Imperial Sugar explosion death toll rises to 13, OSHA backs lack of standard before Congress, Ga. creates own standard, and we need more signatures.
We need more signatures, we need Elaine Chao, The US Secretary of Labor, who has the power to right the course of OSHA, to know that the people want something done.
We can make a difference, we need to do it for Regina Habersham from Georgia, who recently signed the petition and added "please do something my only child was killed please change the laws"
In Solidarity,
Joe
Posted by Joe638NYC on March 19, 2008 at 4:26 PM
Posted on March 19, 2008 at 4:26 PM
Great take on the advisory level.
The shame is that even those wanting to do the right thing have their hands tied.
A comment from an OSHA employee.
As an OSHA employee, I was ashamed and deeply offended by my Agencies response at Rep Miller's Hearings. Like Rep. Miller said "I again see no sense of urgency from OSHA". The OSHA Watchdog has acted like a Lapdog again.
Posted by Tammy on March 24, 2008 at 12:59 PM
Posted on March 24, 2008 at 12:59 PM