One worker was killed and four were injured after an explosion partially destroyed a pharmaceutical plant in Massachusetts, US on 4 May. The incident happened at a facility operated by chemical manufacturer Seqens in the city northeast of Boston.
The explosion, which occurred at 00:45 local time, partially destroyed the roof of the facility and blew an industrial-sized vat from inside the facility to around 30 feet away. Acting Chief of the Newburyport Fire Department Stephen Bradbury said in a statement that five workers were in the building at the time of the explosion. Four were taken to a local hospital, where they were treated and released.
Search and rescue efforts for a fifth worker who was initially missing were made difficult by the major structural damage to the facility. The body of a missing worker was recovered at around 17:30 and was confirmed to be 62-year-old Jack O’Keefe, an employee at the facility.
Newburyport Firefighters and State Hazmat technicians remained overnight at the scene of before resuming the intensive work of removing potential hazards from the badly damaged building. Approximately four dozen large barrels containing chemicals including acetone, methanol and isopropyl alcohol were painstakingly removed from the building, the fire department said.
As a result of the blast, the building — a metal addition on the rear of the larger facility — suffered significant structural damage. City officials have ordered Seqens to commence demolition of the building addition where the explosion occurred due to the structural damage.
The cause of the explosion is under investigation by the Newburyport Fire Department and State Police Fire and Explosion Investigation Unit attached to the State Fire Marshal’s Office.
The Seqens plant has had previous process safety incidents, most notably in 2020 when authorities said a chemical reaction caused a series of explosions. The incident came just a year after OSHA had found “serious” violations in how the company managed hazardous chemicals.
