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According to Fox News, federal officials arrived in Mobile, Alabama to examine the site of a barge explosion on a river that left three workers with critical burns on April 25. A crew on a nearby ship evacuated following the explosion, according to the U.S. Coast Guard.
Officials from the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) arrived in Alabama to inspect the site Oil Recovery Co. site where the explosion occurred. The investigation remains in the early stages and not much information is available at this point.
“They are still working on verifying the name of the company,” said Mark D’Aquino, an OSHA director in Atlanta.
The Coast Guard announced it would be conducting its own investigations as well.
“It literally sounded like bombs going off around,” said witness Alan Waugh, who lives in downtown Mobile. The sky just lit up in orange and red. We could smell something in the air, we didn’t know if it was gas or smoke.”
It is fortunate that no one was killed in this blast. There could still be harmful chemical contaminants in the air. The OSHA investigation should determine if Oil Recovery Co. or any other parties were negligent and contributed to this incident.
There is more information available about hazardous working conditions on our website. Call our firm today at (614)221-7548 for a free consultation if you have been injured—you may be entitled to workers comp benefits.
Larrimer & Larrimer, LLC—Columbus workers comp attorneys