The ARCO Chemical Co.'s inquiry into the plant explosion that killed 17 people has been stymied by a court order issued Saturday for the wife of a deceased worker.
In response to her negligence lawsuit against the company, a judge granted a temporary restraining order preventing Atlantic Richfield Co. and ARCO Chemical from making any changes to the accident scene."We can't remove anything until OSHA releases the area to us," said Jack Johnson, president of ARCO Chemical Americas. He refused to comment further on the lawsuit, filed Friday by Sandra Lucas Davis.
Her husband, Gregory Scott Davis, 27, was one of the names on a partial list of victims released by the company Saturday.
State District Judge Shearn Smith issued the temporary restraining order, but it did not prohibit OSHA, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, from conducting its investigation.
OSHA officials, who were sifting through the damaged area, expect to complete their investigation in about a week, Johnson said.
Assistant Secretary of Labor Gerard F. Scannell said Friday his agency was focusing on maintenance reports and complaints that employees had to work especially long hours at the plant.
Harold Sorgenti, president of ARCO Chemical, said the company was concentrating on helping families and employees deal with the deaths, while making sure the plant is stabilized.
What the employees actually were doing "will be determined by the investigation," Sorgenti said. "Initially, they were beginning to fix a compressor."