West Pharmaceutical Services Dust Explosion and Fire
Kinston, NC, Issued on September 23, 2004
Click here for Investigation Information Page Summary
The CSB investigated a combustible dust explosion and fire at West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc., in Kinston, NC. Root causes of the incident included: failure to perform adequate engineering assessment of materials used in the rubber-making process, engineering management did not ensure that relevant industrial fire safety standards were consulted, the company's management systems for reviewing MSDSs did not identify combustible dust hazards, and the hazard communication program at the facility did not identify the hazards of combustible dust or inform the workforce. Investigators also found one contributing cause of the incident, which was that a polyethylene paste supplier did not address its end-use hazard in the MSDS for that product. The CSB issued safety recommendations based on these root and contributing causes.
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