2003 — Feb 20, Resin Dust Explosions/Fire, CTA Acoustics, Corbin, Laurel County, KY– 7

–7  CSB. CTA Acoustics Dust Explosion and Fire (webpage). 2-15-2005.

–7  CSB. Investigation Report: Combustible Dust Hazard Study.  Nov 2006, p. 21.

–7  Moure-Eraso. “Nine years after…still no dust regulations.” Lexington Herald Leader, KY.

–7  Times Tribune (Eric Steinkopff), Corbin KY. “Jury: Borden liable for CTA fire.” 5-23-2007.

 

Narrative Information

 

CSB: “On February 20, 2003, a series of dust explosions at the CTA Acoustics (CTA) facility in Corbin, Kentucky, claimed the lives of seven workers, injured 37, and destroyed the manufacturing facility…This facility primarily made acoustic insulation for automobiles. The manufacturing process began by impregnating a fiberglass mat with phenolic resin, and then used air to draw the resin into the fiberglass webs. On the day of the explosion, a curing oven that had been left open because of a temperature control problem likely ignited the combustible resin dust stirred up by workers cleaning the area near the oven.

 

“The CSB also found that plant design, work practices, and housekeeping problems contributed to causing the explosions. The CTA building was not designed to prevent or minimize secondary dust explosions (minimizing flat surfaces where dust can accumulate and using fire walls to separate production lines). Although management was aware of dust explosion hazards associated with the materials being used, dust had accumulated in dangerous amounts throughout the production areas, in vent ducting, and in dust collector housings, due to inadequate housekeeping and maintenance. In addition, employees routinely used compressed air and brooms to clean production lines, creating clouds of resin dust.

 

“The MSDS[1] for the resin used at CTA did not adequately communicate that the material posed a dust explosion hazard. In addition, the resin supplier, Borden Chemical (Borden), had not communicated to CTA the safety lessons from the 1999 Jahn Foundry resin dust explosion,[2] even though documents obtained by the CSB indicated that Borden was aware of the explosion, which involved a resin similar to the one used at CTA.

 

“The Kentucky Office of Occupational Safety and Health (KYOSHA had inspected the facility, but had not issue citations regarding combustible dust hazards.

 

“In addition, the CTA facility had never been inspected by the Kentucky State Fire Marshal’s Office, and frequent inspections by CTA’s insurer had failed to identify phenolic resin as an explosion hazard. The CSB determined that if CTA had adhered to NFPA standards for housekeeping and fire/explosion barriers,[3] the explosions could have been prevented or minimized.” (CSB. Investigation Report: Combustible Dust Hazard Study. Nov 2006, p. 21-22.)

 

Moure-Eraso: “….Investigators found that CTA had been aware that combustible dust in the plant could explode, but did not modify the design of the plant to prevent the release and accumulation of the dust, communicate the hazard to workers or modify operating procedures….

 

“But dust explosions continued to occur elsewhere, leading the CSB in 2006 to recommend that the Occupational Safety and Health Administration should issue a federal regulatory combustible dust standard for general industry, to end these preventable tragedies.

 

“Yet, nine years after the CTA catastrophe, and more than five years after our recommendation to OSHA, there is still no comprehensive OSHA standard to prevent these accidents….

 

“Although OSHA agreed to develop a dust standard in April 2009, the agency’s most recent 2012 regulatory agenda does not include any specific milestones or targets for the standard’s development. Without a standard that comprehensively addresses the hazards of combustible dust, American workers will continue to be put at risk for future catastrophic explosions and fires….” (Moure-Eraso, Rafael (Chairman U.S. Chemical Safety Board). “Nine years after Corbin explosion, still no dust regulations.” Lexington Herald Leader, KY, 2-19-2012.)

 

Times Tribune/Steinkopff: “Borden Chemicals was ordered to pay CTA Acoustics more than $122 million after being found liable Monday by a jury for the 2003 plant explosion in Corbin, according to lawyers from both sides. A Laurel County circuit court jury in London found Borden Chemicals liable for the explosion and fire that killed seven employees at the CTA Acoustics plant in Corbin Feb. 20, 2003, according to a CTA press release.

 

“The trial, which began April 9 and lasted six weeks, ended Monday evening with the jury ordering Borden to pay CTA roughly $122 million for property damage and loss of profits, but it did not consider Borden liable for the deaths or serious bodily injury.

 

“ ‘The jury clearly understood that the phenolic resin sold by Borden was similarly involved in a deadly explosion at the Jahn Foundry in Springfield, Mass. on Feb. 25, 1999 in which three people were killed and nine people were injured,’ said CTA Chairman and CEO James J. Pike in a prepared press release. ‘Following that tragedy, Borden failed to notify any of its customers or to change the classification of their phenolic resin on their Materials Safety Data Sheet or to change their labeling to indicate the explosive characteristics of their phenolic resin powder.’

 

“But lead counsel for Borden Chemicals Hank Marshall painted a different picture and vowed not to give up their fight. ‘There were some very serious errors in the trial and as a result the jury did not hear the full extent of CTA’s knowledge of the risks of working with our product,’ Marshall said. ‘We were not allowed to introduce the findings of the Kentucky (Occupational Safety and Health Administration) that very clearly puts the blame for the accident on CTA. We intend to appeal and we’re confident that had the jury heard all the evidence of CTA’s knowledge, which the trial judge did not allow us to present, the outcome would have been different.’….

 

“The largest CTA customer, Ford Motor Company, temporarily closed four automobile assembly plants due to lack of parts that had been supplied by CTA….

 

“In 2006, Borden, CertainTeed and CTA agreed to an undisclosed settlement with 16 of the most critically injured workers or their families….” (Times Tribune (Eric Steinkopff), Corbin, KY. “Jury: Borden liable for CTA fire.” 5-23-2007.)

 

Newspaper at the Time

 

Feb 20: “Dozens of people are injured and a mile and a half wide cloud of cyanide[4] has been released into the air over North Corbin following an explosion this morning at CTA Acoustics….Every Laurel, Knox and Whitley County emergency and rescue service was called to the southern Laurel County plant after an explosion ripped through the rear of the building sending hundreds of employees scrambling for aid….

 

“One 28-year CTA employee said she spoke for 10 minutes to a man whose clothes were completely burned off. The woman stayed with him until help arrived, but his face was so severely burned, she said she didn’t know who she was talking to. ‘I saw a wall collapse, and I hid under my desk,’ she said. ‘When I came out, I saw five bodies lying around me.’….” (Times-Tribune, Corbin, KY. “Blast rips CTA.” 2-20-2003, p. 1.)

 

Feb 21: “Several CTA Acoustics workers remain in critical condition today following the explosion which sent 44 of its victims to hospitals Thursday morning prompting medical personnel to call the disaster one of the worst this area has ever experienced. Dr. George Liu, chief of general surgery at Baptist Regional Medical Center, called the number and severity of the injuries the most tragic of his career. ‘I’ve never seen anything like this,’ he said. ‘Some of the victims had 80 and 90 percent of their bodies burned.’….none of the injured had suffered broken bones or other additional injuries….” (Times-Tribune, Corbin, KY. “CTA explosion sends 44 to hospitals; at least 11 critical.” 2-21-2003, p. 1.)

 

Sources

 

Moure-Eraso, Rafael (Chairman U.S. Chemical Safety Board). “Nine years after Corbin explosion, still no dust regulations.” Lexington Herald Leader, KY, 2-19-2012. Accessed 8-6-2017 at: http://www.kentucky.com/opinion/op-ed/article44155764.html

 

Times-Tribune (Janie Taylor), Corbin, KY. “Air quality at expected levels after explosion…false cyanide report came from one emergency agency.” 2-22-2003, p. 1. Accessed 8-6-2017 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/corbin-times-tribune-feb-22-2003-p-1/?tag

 

Times-Tribune (Erin Moses, et al.), Corbin, KY. “Blast rips CTA.” 2-20-2003, p. 1. Accessed 8-6-2017 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/corbin-times-tribune-feb-20-2003-p-1/?tag

 

Times-Tribune (Janie Taylor), Corbin, KY. “CTA explosion sends 44 to hospitals; at least 11 critical.” 2-21-2003, p. 1. Accessed 8-6-2017 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/corbin-times-tribune-feb-21-2003-p-1/?tag

 

Times Tribune (Eric Steinkopff), Corbin, KY. “Jury: Borden liable for CTA fire.” 5-23-2007. Accessed 8-6-2017 at: http://www.thetimestribune.com/news/local_news/jury-borden-liable-for-cta-fire/article_0865b9e7-b815-5221-a54a-f9e0e6d27a57.html

 

U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board (CSB). CTA Acoustics Dust Explosion and Fire (webpage). Washington, DC, CSB, 2-15-2005. Accessed 8-6-2017 at: http://www.csb.gov/cta-acoustics-dust-explosion-and-fire/

 

U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board (CSB). Investigation Report: Combustible Dust Hazard Study (Report No. 2006-H-1). Washington, DC: CSB, November 2006, 108 pages.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[1] Material Safety Data Sheet.

[2] Feb 25, 1999, Springfield Mass.; 3 workers died and nine others seriously injured. (EHS Today, 10-14-1999.)

[3] Specifically cites NFPA (National Fire Protection Association) 654 (2000).

[4] False report by at least one emergency response agency. KY State Police spokesperson said the KSP was at least partially at fault for the report. (Times Tribune, Corbin, KY. “Air quality at expected levels after explosion…false cyanide report came from one emergency agency.” 2-22-2003, p. 1.)