Michigan Foundry Explosion Injures One

An interesting and detailed article about an explosion and fire at an aluminum foundry reports that one employee was taken to the hospital and was being treated for burns. The cause of the explosion is still under investigation, but it appears to have involved one of the facility’s furnaces.

As I have noted previously, the Chemical Safety Board takes the position that an explosion at a fixed facility that causes serious injury or significant damage (it would appear that both criteria have been met here) is by definition a reportable release. I suspect that, since a foundry is not normally considered a chemical facility, that the management team may be unaware of their CSB reporting responsibilities related to this type of incident. I would not be surprised to find that this incident was not reported to the CSB.