The number of violations and the amount of the fine levied against The Trojan Corp. for a Feb. 21 explosion that injured five people have been reduced, according to Doug McVey, administrator of the Occupational Safety and Health Division of the State Industrial Commission.
Originally, the company was cited for seven major violations and fined $3,410, but following an informal hearing the number of violations was reduced to four and the fine lowered to $2,060. McVey said no appeal of the citations or the fine has been filed by the company.McVey said that during the informal hearing, attended by OSHA, company and union representatives, it was discovered that some of the cited violations covered the same activity. For example, top management officials and a supervisor were cited for improper follow-through, but in reality it was top management who hadn't provided follow-up training to the supervisor.
In another violation the company was cited for failing for post the standard operating procedure, but because the papers were destroyed in the explosion, labor union representatives verified it was posted.
The remaining violations are:
- Written operating rules didn't address all appropriate safety procedures.
- There was a deviation from the standard operating procedure that wasn't approved by management in writing.
- Appropriate tools and equipment weren't used in explosive materials operations.
- Vehicles used to transport explosives weren't of a design to safely handle the material being moved.
McVey said his employees will conduct follow-up inspections to see the violations are corrected.
Several workers were returning on a bus from a break when the explosion rocked the company near the mouth of Spanish Fork Canyon. In addition to the injuries and the destruction of the building, the bus and several other buildings were damaged.
Although much of the evidence was destroyed in the blast, company and OSHA officials agree it was caused by friction or the paddle of a mixing machine hitting some explosive material that had become mostly solid in a 1,500-pound mixing pot. That explosion touched off other mixing pots and a total of 6,000 pounds of explosives detonated.
Trojan employees were mixing TNT, PETN and RDX (all explosives) into boosters used to initiate blasting agents in mining. The employees apparently added some materials too quickly and it started to solidify. They took a break and were just returning when the blast occurred.
An April 21 explosion that had a direct link with the Feb. 21 blast still is being investigated, McVey said. Junior Underwood, 62, Salem, Utah County, lost a finger and part of an ear in a explosion that occurred when he was salvaging some of the material from the Feb. 21 blast.
McVey said the material apparently was contaminated with explosives and a welding torch ignited it.