Education and Labor Hearing on Combustible Dust
March 12th, 2008 by Jesse LeeThe Education and Labor Committee held a hearing this morning on legislation to help prevent worksite explosions like the one at the Imperial Sugar refinery in Port Wentworth, Georgia, in early February that killed 12 workers and critically injured 11 others. The Combustible Dust Explosion and Fire Prevention Act (H.R. 5522) would force the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration to issue rules regulating combustible industrial dusts, like sugar dust, that can build up to hazardous levels and explode. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration already has the authority to issue such a rule without Congress passing new legislation, but the agency has failed to act despite the fact that the dangers of combustible dust have been well known for years.
Chairman George Miller gives opening remarks:
Chairman Miller: “Just over a month ago, an explosion ripped through the Imperial Sugar plant outside of Savannah, Georgia, killing 12 workers and critically injuring 11 others. The probable cause of this explosion was combustible sugar dust. The loss of lives in workplace incidents is always a tragedy. But what’s particularly troubling about the Imperial Sugar explosion is that, not only was it preventable, but the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration had been specifically warned about the dust hazards and provided with guidance on how to address them.” |
Tammy Miser, sister of a victim of a 2003 combustible dust explosion in Huntington, IN, testifies:
Tammy Miser: “Shawn’s back was towards the furnace when they were picking up their tools and there was a blast. Some say Shawn got up and started walking towards the door and then there was a second, more intense blast. Shawn didn’t die instantly. He laid on building floor while the aluminum dust burnt through his flesh and muscle tissue. The breaths that he took burnt his internal organs, and the blast took his eyesight. Shawn was still conscious and asking for help… And the two things that I can always remember and that never leave are his last words, “I’m in a world of hurt,” and his last breaths.” |