A color manufacturing facility in Louisville, Ky., exploded on Tuesday, killing two workers and injuring as many as 12 others. The plant is owned by Givaudan Sense Color.
The explosion, which occurred at about 3 p.m., destroyed part of the facility. The blast wave blew out windows in nearby residences and businesses and was felt for miles away, according to local reports.
Explosion affected wide area
Residents living within a mile of the plant were subject to a shelter-in-place order for some hours on Tuesday. Residents living within two blocks of the plant were evacuated because their shattered windows meant they couldn’t seal their homes. It’s unclear how many people were affected by the orders.
According to local news reports, air monitoring by the fire department has not detected any hazardous chemicals emanating from the plant. It’s unclear which hazardous chemicals they were looking for.
The injured workers were taken to two area hospitals. It was not yet clear if the two workers who died were included in the 12 who were treated. Six workers were still hospitalized Wednesday morning, according to CNN.
“We are deeply saddened to share the news that two of our team members lost their lives in this accident. Several other individuals were also injured,” said Givaudan in a statement given to CNN. “We are grieving with the families, friends and loved ones of those that were lost and injured during this very difficult time.”
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Givaudanwhich is based in Vernier, Switzerland, manufactures a wide array of supplement and food ingredients. It acquired the Louisville plant from D.D. Williamson & Company in 2021.
Explosion risk endemic in industry
Extraction of food ingredients often involves storing large quantities of volatile solvents on site. That’s true whether the facility manufactures colors, botanical extracts, oil-based ingredients like omega-3 fish oils, or other products.
It’s common practice to require workers in such facilities to store personal electronic devices and not use them on site because of the explosion risk posed by possible stray current. At least some color ingredient production facilities have been built with sections hardened against blasts, so an explosion in one part of the facility doesn’t bring down the whole structure.
On July 29, 2024, the portion of the huge BASF plant in Ludwigshafen, Germany that manufactures vitamin A and vitamin E ingredients exploded and caught fireforcing the company to declare force majeure on contracts related to those ingredients. No one was injured in that incident.
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The same plant also exploded and burnt in 2017.
On November 8, 2012, a krill oil extraction facility in Sherbrooke, Ontario, exploded, killing two and injuring 19. One of the injured workers later died. The plant was owned by a company now known as Neptune Wellness Solutions Inc.
That explosion was attributed to the ignition of acetone used at the plant. An investigation by authorities found the company to be at fault for poor safety procedures.
One worker killed in previous explosion at same plant
This is not the first explosion at the Louisville color plant. On April 11, 2003, a pressure vessel exploded, killing a worker.
According to a report from the U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board that was issued in 2004, the cause of the explosion was a tank that may have been weakened by prior damage and a pressure relief valve that was undersized and plugged with hardened caramel.
The incident released 26,000 pounds of aqueous ammonia into the air, according to the report. It also required 26 people to evacuate from their homes and 1,500 more to observe a shelter-in-place order. The company ultimately was fined $10,000 by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration.
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