Following the explosion at the Givaudan Sense Colour plant in Louisville’s Clifton neighborhood Tuesday, Gov. Andy Beshear said he believes the company needs to be transparent about the incident and reassure neighbors that steps will be taken to prevent a similar incidents in the future.
Beshear addressed the incident during his weekly Team Kentucky news conference Thursday, saying his primary focus is on the people who died from the blast.
“The main thing that I’m focused on are those two individuals who went to work that day and should have been able to come home safe to their families,” he said.
Gov. Andy Beshear addressed the explosion that occurred in the Clifton neighborhood during his weekly Team Kentucky news conference Thursday, saying his primary focus is on the two individuals who died from the blast.
He added, “I believe any company that has an explosion in a community ought to be there talking with the neighbors, assuring them that they’re going to take reasonable steps.”
Givaudan Global Content and Communications Director Jeff Peppet confirmed that company representatives will appear at a community meeting at 6 p.m. Monday at United Crescent Hill Ministries, located at 150 State St. in the Clifton neighborhood.
In response to a request by Mayor Craig Greenberg, Givaudan officials have also released a phone number and email address for the public to contact the company with any questions or concerns, the mayor said in a social media post.
Residents can reach the company by calling 1-800-856-3333 or emailing [email protected].
Beshear acknowledged that highly anticipated answers should emerge as progress is made in the ongoing investigation being led by the Louisville Division of Fire, alongside other local agencies and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
Still, Beshear said, it’s the company’s responsibility to be public facing following an incident that impacted countless people. Residents near the site of the explosion reported feeling a forceful impact, while windows of nearby homes and businesses were blown out in the explosion and debris and shrapnel was strewn in the yards of some neighboring homes.
“To operate where they operate, they need to be out in that community telling people, first, what happened or telling them that they’re committed to finding out what happened, and then, to be fully transparent about it, because we’re certainly going to be,” Beshear said.
Answers will be provided to the community when the investigation is concluded, Beshear said, and any lessons that can be gleaned to prevent harm in the future will be emphasized.
“We’ll get to the bottom of it, make sure that we know all the facts when the investigation is complete, share those facts and then if there are any lessons learned that we can take from this and provide to other companies that are out there, we should.”
Contact reporter Killian Baarlaer at [email protected] or at @bkillian72 on X.
This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: KY Gov. Beshear calls for transparency in Louisville plant explosion
