CSB Announces Investigation of Fatal Biofuels Plant Explosion

Yesterday, the Chemical Safety Board announced that it had “launched a formal investigation into the fatal explosion and fire at the Horizon Biofuels facility in Fremont, Nebraska, that occurred on July 29.” There are seven other active investigations currently being conducted by the CSB.

Initial indications are that this was a wood dust explosion. The announcement noted that:

“The CSB has investigated a number of serious combustible dust incidents over the years and has issued numerous safety materials on the dangers of combustible dust, including videos, alerts, and a major hazard study.”

Ironically, the same day that I briefly reported on the Horizon Biofuels incident, I also reported another fatal dust explosion earlier this month in Dawn, TX at a flour mill.