By John Stang
The Idaho Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) is still reviewing a US Ecology report on the cause of a fatal explosion at its Grand View waste treatment and disposal facility. It is unknown when that review will be finished, said Albert Crawshaw, DEQ waste and remediation manager.
Submitted in midsummer, the report blames the explosion on an unidentified client shipping magnesium wastes without fully describing dangerous substances that were mixed in. The material then exploded on contact with water while being treated on Nov. 17, 2018.
The state agency is conducting its own investigation of the incident. Details, including the timeline for completion, have not been made public.
The Boise, Idaho-headquartered environmental services company faces a potential $66,300 fine from the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration for five “serious” violations relating to the event that killed one man and injured eight others.
The five violations cited in a May OSHA document include US Ecology’s failure to use material-handling tools designed to prevent ignition in an area with open containers and a reasonable possibility of an explosion. Also, the site’s safety and health plan did not have a hazard analysis for each task and operation and US Ecology had not evaluated the facility where the explosion occurred for present or likely hazards that would require use of personal protective equipment, according to OSHA.
On Thursday, US Ecology reaffirmed that it is contesting OSHA’s citation and proposed fine. “US Ecology recently provided the full investigation report to OSHA and looks forward to further discussions after they have completed their review of the information provided,” company spokesman Dave Crumrine said by email.
The federal agency said US Ecology had been treating 9,210 pounds of magnesium dust by mixing it with water in a steel-lined bin in the primary waste treatment building at Grand View. “Magnesium is reacted with water to make magnesium oxide, which is a more stable compound. During this process hydrogen and oxygen are released. The hydrogen ignited and in the presence of oxygen and created a large explosion,” OSHA concluded.
The employee who died, Monte Green, 48, had been stabilizing the magnesium.
US Ecology does not agree with OSHA that loose hydrogen ignited. The company’s investigation concluded the explosion was caused by a reaction among water, magnesium, and a mixture of other chemicals that were not supposed to be in the wastes. It has said it won’t identify the name of the New Jersey company that provided the rogue substances — such as iron and zinc — inside some of the 193 barrels shipped to Grand View.
The contents of 43 drums of ultra-fine magnesium powder were placed in a treatment pit in the main treatment building. The material was then mixed with water using an excavator, per standard protocol, according to US Ecology’s report. The water hit an extremely hot segment of the waste, which caused a steam explosion.
The Grand View site, in southwest Idaho, is one of 30 environmental services facilities US Ecology operates in the United States, Canada, and Mexico. It provides disposal and treatment of hazardous and nonhazardous wastes, including very low-activity radioactive waste, naturally occurring radioactive material (NORM), and technologically enhanced naturally occurring radioactive material (TENORM).
The explosion severely damaged the primary waste-treatment building, as well as nearby waste handling, waste storage, maintenance, and administrative support structures,
The replacement stabilization building is being designed. The design will be submitted the the Idaho DEQ for permit changes before the end of 2019, and construction is scheduled for 2020. US Ecology has declined to comment on recovery costs.
US Ecology to date this year has received $9.5 million in property-related insurance payments for damage from the explosion, according to its most recent U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission filing. The company also has workers’ compensation insurance, business interruption insurance, and liability insurance for personal injury
In February, the Idaho DEQ authorized US Ecology to resume disposal of bulk wastes at Grand View. Since then, US Ecology has gradually ramped up its waste treatment operations.
