Plant Safety

Two workers were killed in a fire and explosion that erupted Dec., 9, at AL Solutions, Inc., a small chemical plant in New Cumberland, W. Va., that processes titanium and zirconium. Two other workers were injured in the accident, one seriously.

A four-person team from the U.S. Chemical Safety & Hazard Investigation Board is on the scene of the afternoon fire and explosion, which occurred inside the plant, to try to determine exactly what happened. CSB Investigator- in-Charge Robert Hall is directing the probe.

The accident is the third fatal incident at the facility since 1995. In all, four workers have died at the plant in the past 15 years, according to press accounts. AL Solutions reprocesses titanium and zirconium and supplies them as additives to the aluminum industry. Both materials are corrosive resistant and flammable in powdered form. 

CSB is an independent federal agency charged with investigating and determining the root cause of industrial chemical accidents.