Two More Explosions Reported at Emcor Plant Facilities

On Thursday, November 9, a massive explosion rocked a wastewater treatment facility in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. The explosion occurred at 1:30 p.m. local time at the Regional Biosolids Dryer at Archie Elledge Wastewater Treatment Plant. The damage to property was reported as “extensive”, though there were no immediate reports of leaked toxic materials or released vapors.

The cause of the explosion is still being investigated, and while there are no officially reported injuries yet, the plant explosion attorneys at Arnold & Itkin are following this and similar incidents closely.

This includes incidents such as one caused by another Emcor subsidiary, The Poole and Kent Corporation in Baltimore. This plant also experienced a gas explosion this past November. As of now, there are no official reports of leaks or injuries, but Emcor has repeatedly been responsible for preventable and devastating explosions that have left plant workers with life-changing and even fatal injuries.

Some of Emcor’s more flagrant violations have included a February 2010 explosion, the result of a now-banned process for clearing pipes with gas. This gas ignited, killing six workers and injuring 50 others at an electricity plant in Middletown, Connecticut.

In May of 2013, OSHA fined Emcor for a flash fire that hospitalized three workers with burn injuries. The Virginia-based subsidiary was faulted for not controlling toxic, flammable vapors. In all, Emcor and subsidiaries were cited for 22 serious violations for this worksite accident.

Emcor is a corporation with dozens of subsidiaries and more than 33,000 employees. It is also a corporation that has been found to violate safety regulations time and again throughout the years and across the country. Their long-standing pattern of negligence only repeats itself time and again in tragic, preventable explosions and fires.

The attorneys at Arnold & Itkin are committed to helping injured workers and the families of those who have lost loved ones to hold Emcor accountable.