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A worker at a General Motors (GM) facility near Detroit was injured recently after an explosion that damaged the battery research facility, according to the Detroit Free Press. The man was working in a laboratory at the time. He was rushed to St. John Hospital in Detroit, where his injuries were described as serious by Warren Fire Commissioner Wilburt McAdams.
“Chemical gasses from the battery cells were released and ignited in the enclosed chamber,” said GM in a released statement. “The battery itself was intact.”
The injured worker is expected to recover, but was held at the hospital overnight for observation.
“Whatever they were working on in this lab, something happened, causing the explosion,” said McAdams. “We don’t have an origin or cause, but we do know that the explosion occurred in one of the labs within the building, causing significant structural damage to the building. But safety systems in the building directed the blast force upward and thus saving the structure.”
The US Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) may inspect the facility following an accident like this. GM is responsible for employee safety and must ensure that this does not happen again.
Larrimer & Larrimer, LLC—Columbus workers comp attorneys.