A chemical plant explosion resulted in the death of at least one worker and the injury of another. Because of the nature of the facilities, Pasadena residents were encouraged to stay indoors with windows shut as officials worked to contain any contaminants that may have been dispersed in the blast and subsequent blaze.
According to YourHoustonNews.com, the explosion happened around 7:30 Saturday morning. Officials are still unsure what caused the blast, but the company, Air Liquide, mixes gases for industrial uses.
A staff of about 20 was working on the weekend—one was killed and another injured. The injured worker was airlifted to Galveston for burn treatment. The company said, however, that they couldn’t provide an official headcount at press time.
Immediately following the accident, Pasadena officials called for a Level 3 shelter. This means they wanted to contain the smoke and dispersants that may have been released into the air. At that time, residents were also told to stay indoors as a precaution. Smoke from the blast was traveling toward the Red Bluff area at that time.
Air Liquide officials said the chemicals were contained and the smoke didn’t have added contaminants in it. Officials were cautious. The shelter and subsequent warning were lifted several hours later.
When a city has chemical plants like this one in place, the workers aren’t the only ones vulnerable to an accident. As you can see, one mishap can shut down a city.
When there are contaminants in the smoke, we can only hope officials act quickly enough to contain it.
If you work in a facility like this, you don’t have to be involved in a major explosion to suffer from accident-related injuries. A small spill, for instance, could result in serious chemical burns and inhalation injuries. This is why job safety and training is so crucial when you work in such an industry.
