CEDAR CITY — An industrial accident that took the life of a Cedar City man here last week was not the first fatality at the rocket fuel propellant plant.
Dennis Mulligan, 45, was burned over 15 percent of his body during the morning accident at Western Electrochemical Co. (WECCO), located about 10 miles northwest of the nearest home outside Cedar City. Mulligan was taken to a local hospital and then flown to the Intermountain Burn Unit at the University of Utah Medical Center, where he died later that night.
Mulligan was reportedly cleaning a filter drum used in the production of sodium azide when the accident occurred, according to a press release from American Pacific Corp., WECCO's parent company.
"He was a very good employee," said Jim Peveler, Cedar City WECCO president, of Mulligan. "No question, this affects the entire company and community."
Nearly five years ago an explosion at the same plant killed 48-year-old Daniel Balduck and injured four others, one critically. A plugged dust collector was blamed in that accident.
In 1988, a massive blast at the company's Henderson, Nev., plant nearly vaporized its facilities there, killing two and injuring more than 350 people. Thousands of homeowners and businesses located near the chemical plant reported damage during the seven explosions that followed the initial blast.
One year later American Pacific Corp. built a new $50 million facility in rural Iron County, much to the delight of the area's economic development director at the time.
The dangerous aspect of working with volatile chemicals just goes with the business, said one former WECCO employee who nearly lost his life in a work-related accident.
"I think they do as much as they can to keep things safe out there," said Ronald Ray Meacham, who was burned over 50 percent of his body during a 1997 accident at the plant. "The stuff they make out there is dangerous. The danger just kind of goes along with the job," Meacham said.
Meacham's vivid memories of the day he nearly died also remind him that he's lucky to be alive, he said Monday.
"It was the good Lord who was keeping me here," said Meacham, who spent six months at the University of Utah's burn unit and another two years in physical rehabilitation. "I'm having to totally redo my life, but I'm glad to be here. I'm the lucky one."
Officials from the Utah Occupational Safety and Health Administration toured WECCO on Friday and plan a return trip, Peveler said.
"They're the accident investigation experts. We'll wait to see what they say," Peveler said of the agency's ongoing investigation. Mulligan had a "one person job," said Peveler, and was alone at the time of the accident. Crisis counselors were called to the plant so that co-workers could talk about their concerns and feelings, he added.
Mulligan, a husband and father, had worked at WECCO for 2 1/2 years. He will be buried Thursday in Cedar City.
American Pacific Corp. is a specialty chemical company that produces products used primarily in space flight and defense systems, automotive airbag safety systems, and fire extinguish systems.
E-mail: nperkins@redrock.net