Welcome to DU!
The truly grassroots left-of-center political community where regular people, not algorithms, drive the discussions and set the standards.
Join the community:
Create a free account
Support DU (and get rid of ads!):
Become a Star Member
Latest Breaking News
General Discussion
The DU Lounge
All Forums
Issue Forums
Culture Forums
Alliance Forums
Region Forums
Support Forums
Help & Search
General Discussion
Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsWest explosion shows self-policing fails (from Dallas News)
http://www.dallasnews.com/opinion/editorials/20130616-editorial-west-explosion-shows-self-policing-fails.ecePlumes of smoke from a burning chemical plant fill the sky as emergency workers form a roadblock west of Bryan, Texas on Thursday, July 30, 2009. Officials evacuated much of Brazos County to the north and west of Bryan because the El Dorado Chemical Co. plant contained explosive ammonium nitrate.
published: 16 June 2013 11:07 PM
Updated: 16 June 2013 11:07 PM
Related
Sometimes, a voluntary best-practices approach to industry self-regulation works best to raise standards and minimize government intrusion. But when some operators choose to ignore voluntary standards, disaster can result. When it happens again and again, thats when state and federal lawmakers should step in. The April 17 explosion in West is an excellent example of how badly things can go wrong when industry self-policing fails. West Fertilizer Co. was among dozens of facilities around Texas storing thousands of pounds of ammonium nitrate fertilizer, a compound that becomes explosive at high temperatures. West Fertilizer didnt follow industry best practices by keeping its ammonium nitrate away from combustible materials, such as wooden storage facilities.
snip
Investigators in West arent sure what caused the April 17 fire and explosion, which killed 15 people and damaged hundreds of structures. Experts say the burning wood structure may have collapsed on top of about 30 tons of ammonium nitrate, prompting the explosion. Seeds were stored in the same building, along with an old golf cart.
West Fertilizers owners did not heed the warning signs from the Bryan fire, and officials in West, surrounding McLennan County and state regulatory agencies also appear not to have recognized the dangers. Today, because of West, towns across the state are conducting reviews that should have happened long ago. West Fertilizer and El Dorado are far from alone in wagering that a few dollars saved now outweighs the risk of a big fire and even bigger explosion sometime in the future.
When industry self-policing fails repeatedly, lawmakers must take action and recognize the higher priority of protecting the public. If companies insist on using wooden warehouses, state law should severely limit how much ammonium nitrate they can store inside. Interim legislative committees should begin studying National Fire Protection Association standards for the safe handling and storage of ammonium nitrate, then turn the most important voluntary standards into mandatory ones. When private companies gamble with the lives and property of surrounding residents to reduce their own costs, they deserve to lose their self-policing privileges.
snip
InfoView thread info, including edit history
TrashPut this thread in your Trash Can (My DU » Trash Can)
BookmarkAdd this thread to your Bookmarks (My DU » Bookmarks)
2 replies, 824 views
ShareGet links to this post and/or share on social media
AlertAlert this post for a rule violation
PowersThere are no powers you can use on this post
EditCannot edit other people's posts
ReplyReply to this post
EditCannot edit other people's posts
Rec (6)
ReplyReply to this post
2 replies
= new reply since forum marked as read
Highlight:
NoneDon't highlight anything
5 newestHighlight 5 most recent replies
West explosion shows self-policing fails (from Dallas News) (Original Post)
SoCalDem
Jun 2013
OP
West took it a step further: they did not report the presence of the ammonium nitrate.
Buzz Clik
Jun 2013
#1
Buzz Clik
(38,437 posts)1. West took it a step further: they did not report the presence of the ammonium nitrate.
The difference between Bryan and West was that Bryan was aware of the looming possibility of an explosion; West was not.
One_Life_To_Give
(6,036 posts)2. Like Coconut Grove
Unfortunately history is a tough teacher. We first fail the test in order to learn the lesson. And it's only after we have suffered tragedies that new rules and regulations are passed.