First Update from the U.S. Chemical Safety Board on 4.8.2021 Deployment to Yenkin-Majestic Paints and OPC Polymers Corporation in Columbus Ohio
April 9, 2021
The CSB can confirm the following information related to Thursday's fatal fire and explosion:
- A fire and explosion occurred at approximately 12:30 a.m. EDT on Thursday, April 8, 2021.
- Yenkin-Majestic manufactures and markets industrial coatings that include acrylics, alkyds, coil and powder coatings, epoxies, primers, and urethanes.
- The incident occurred in the OPC Polymers unit at the Yenkin-Majestic facility. The company reports that it has 180 employees.
- The company reported the following casualties: 1 fatal, 5 hospitalized and 4 non-serious injuries.
- Twenty-one employees were reported to have been in the facility at the time of the incident.
- Incident resulted in substantial property damage, more than $1 million.
- A building in the OPC Polymer unit collapsed as a result of the incident.
- Emergency responders reported that a local resident self-evacuated. No evacuation was ordered by the City of Columbus.
- Materials stored onsite include maleic anhydride, phthalic anhydride, xylene, and mineral spirits. The company has not yet provided the quantities of the material at the facility at the time of the incident.
- The OPC Polymer unit was engaged in normal operations at the time of the incident. The material being produced was manufactured in a batch process.
- The OPC Polymer unit operates in a 24/7 operation. The site includes an adjacent paint manufacturing unit that operates 4/10 operation.
- The facility is covered by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration's (OSHA) Process Safety Management (PSM) regulation due to the flammable liquids stored at the facility.
CSB Activities as of 4.9.2021:- The CSB's Investigator-In-Charge arrived in Columbus on the evening of April 8, 2021 and was at the facility before 7:30 a.m. EDT on Friday April 9, 2021. A second CSB investigator arrived in Columbus this morning
- The CSB is coordinating its activities with OSHA.
- The CSB is moving forward with scheduling interviews with facility employees and management.
