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Safety

Safety Board Reports On Fireworks Blast

by Jeff Johnson
January 21, 2013 | A version of this story appeared in Volume 91, Issue 3

Improper handling and a lack of safety standards and training for workers destroying fireworks led to the deaths of five workers at a Hawaii facility in April 2011, the Chemical Safety & Hazard Investigation Board said in a report released last week. The fireworks had been seized by the federal government and were being destroyed by Donaldson Enterprises Inc., a small, federally contracted company. To dispose of the fireworks, workers removed and concentrated black powder from the explosives and soaked aerial shells in diesel fuel to encourage their destruction. On the day of the accident, because it was raining, the workers moved the operation into an enclosed area where more fireworks were stored. A spark ignited the fireworks, causing an explosion. The safety board has issued a safety video providing more details.

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