Fertilizer operations were still suspended late last week at Mississippi Phosphates Corp. while OSHA inspectors broadened their investigation after an explosion Friday, June 1, that killed one employee – the second to die in a plant accident in two weeks – and sent two others to the hospital with injuries.
No specifics were available from company officials about either accident, but Jackson County Sheriff Mike Byrd reportedly said that both occurred in the same area. Byrd said that the first was caused by machinery failure that resulted in an explosion, and the most recent involved some sort of a steam explosion.
Byrd was on the scene with Jackson County Coroner Vicki Broadus, who identified the victim of the June 1 accident as Jeremy Moore, 20, who graduated from high school in 2010 and joined Miss Phos shortly afterward. On May 21, Jeffrey Simpson, 39, was killed at the plant where he worked as a board operator (GM May 28, p. 12). In that incident, company officials said the accident occurred during a maintenance procedure in a portion of the plant that was not operational at the time.
The two workers injured June 1 were taken to nearby Singing River Hospital, but one had suffered serious burns and was transferred to USA Medical Center in Mobile, where he underwent surgery and was reportedly awake and talking.
A statement issued right after the accident gave only limited information: “The incident was and is contained within the plant. The facility is stable, but out of caution, operations have ceased. There is no threat to employees or the public. We are working closely with response personnel and cooperating with all government and regulatory agencies. We are continuing to gather information and working to identify the cause of the incident. We are deeply saddened by this incident and our thoughts and prayers are with our employees and families.”
Later the same day the company issued this update: “In wake of this morning’s incident, production at the facility has been temporarily suspended out of caution. But the facility is safe and secure and, as a result, our employees are continuing to report as usual. We are investigating the cause of the incident.” One contact indicated that restarting the production would not happen right away.
OSHA investigators have been on the scene since the first mishap May 21, and Clyde Payne, Mississippi region director, said additional investigators have been dispatched to Pascagoula. Payne said that at this early point he doesn’t know exactly how many have been sent, but that “we’re going to have an appropriate number to do a comprehensive investigation.” He said there is no time limit involved, and that each incident is being investigated separately.
Michael Wald, spokesman for the Department of Labor, declined to speculate about the two accidents occurring so closely together. “We don’t know if the two incidents are related or not,” Wald responded. “That’s all part of the inspection, and OSHA will be the agency issuing the report. There’s nothing we can say about this until the inspection is complete.” By statute OSHA has up to six months from the time it begins to complete the inspection. No findings will be released until the inspection efforts are completed.
The Miss Phos complex went off line after the June 1 incident, and as Green Markets goes to press on June 8, there was no definitive word as to when production might return. The company, however, did confirm June 4 that terminaling activity at the site was occurring.
Ironically, Miss Phos had just reported that its production rates were its bright spot in the first quarter (GM June 4, p. 13). The company said DAP and sulfuric acid production rates were up for the quarter. The company said over the past year it had invested hea