Fed board to consider Sierra Chemical blast next month

The U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board will meet at George Washington University in Washington, D.C., on July 29, board Chairman Paul Hill said on Tuesday.

Hill said the board will review and consider adopting investigative reports into the probable cause of the blast at Sierra Chemical Co. that killed four workers and injured six others.

The board also will consider recommendations to help prevent similar accidents.

The Jan. 7 explosion at the plant in Mustang left a crater 40 feet wide and 6 feet deep, broke windows a mile away and shook seismic needles at the University of Nevada, Reno.

In early June, Gov. Bob Miller signed four executive orders aimed at preventing a recurrence of the deadly blast, based on recommendations from a state commission created to look into the tragedy.

Sierra Chemical, fined $1 million by the state for various safety violations, has accused the state of conducting a shoddy investigation and contends the explosion was the result of sabotage.

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