Investigations into the cause of the Kleen Energy plant explosion in Middletown, Connecticut, and the level of worker safety at the plant are beginning, according to a report by the Hartford Courant. Officials currently believe a welder’s torch in the vicinity of the natural gas being purged from the underground pipeline could have caused the blast. The purging operation requires that the accumulated gas be vented from buildings and enclosures before combustible elements like a welder’s torch can be safety introduced. 

The Courant reports that Governor M. Jodi Rell announced Monday that inquires into worker safety conditions on the site will be conducted at the state level and will review safety and other labor, training, permitting and supervision issues. However, the main investigation will be a joint effort of state, local and federal agencies including OSHA and the ATF and will focus on the exact cause of the explosion. “It’s going to try to determine whether all electricity was shut down as a precaution, workers moved from the area – all of those issues,”  Deputy Middletown Fire Marshal Al Santostefano told the Courant.   

The House Education and Labor Committee Chairman, George Miller, has also agreed to hearings on the blast to ensure that steps are taken to prevent such a catastrophe from happing again.

Related Resources:

  • Middletown Power Plant Explosion: Focus On Worker’s Torch (The Hartford Courant)
  • At least 5 dead in Connecticut gas plant blast (Reuters)
  • Kleen Energy Plant Explosion - Update February 8, 2010 (City of Middletown Press Release)
  • OSHA and Workplace Safety (FindLaw)
  • Refinery Explosion Aftermath: OSHA Fines BP $87 Million (FindLaw’s Injured)
  • Findings on Texas BP Plant Explosion Released (FindLaw’s Common Law)
  • History and Origin of Workers’ Compensation (provided by Derzon & Menard, S.C.)
  • OSHA and Employee Workplace Rights (provided by Christiansen Law Offices)

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