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Calcium carbide...

hemical plants are dangerous workplaces. Filled with flammable chemicals and heavy equipment, these plants present a variety of potential hazards to workers. While employers are obligated to protect the health and safety of employees, we all know accidents happen. When they do, workers' compensation can offer financial assistance to injured workers and their families.
Earlier this week, two workers lost their lives and two other people were injured in a fire and an explosion at the Carbide Industries chemical plant in Kentucky. When the furnace exploded, debris was thrown hundreds of yards from the burning building. While it is unclear at this time what caused the blast, we know it involved calcium carbide, a flammable material that reacts violently with water.
After the explosion, firefighters planned to let the fire burn itself out, as calcium carbide cannot mix with water. However, one of the transformers containing mineral oil located above the blast caught fire. The flames raged for two and a half days before going out.
According to emergency responders, two long-time employees were inside a control room at the time of the explosion, only 25 feet away from the blast. They both sustained third-degree burns over 90 percent of their bodies. One died on Monday, while the other died Tuesday morning at University Hospital. Another employee and a worker from a nearby plant were also injured in the tragic incident.
The plant, located along the Ohio River in West Louisville, produces calcium carbide products, which are used in metal fabrication and construction. Since the explosion, roughly 130 plant employees are out of work. At this point, it is unclear when they will be able to return.
The Kentucky Labor Cabinet's Division of OSHA sent two inspectors to the scene, surveying the damage, talking to responders and beginning to work through what caused the explosion. Authorities reassured people in the area that air quality was not a threat to the community.