 NEWS ARTICLES CONCERNING
THE PLANT HISTORY & EXPLOSION
News Articles Between February 02/03/99 - present
 | New Link -
Blast furnace spills hot
metal - DEARBORN -- In what looked like lava from an active volcano, 2,600-degree
molten metal melted through a wall around a Rouge Steel blast furnace Friday in Dearborn.
It was the same blast furnace where a worker, Francis Kidd, died in August from carbon
monoxide poisoning. No one was injured Friday, company officials said. But coming
after a series of incidents this year at the Ford Rouge complex, the early-morning
accident shook up some workers. ... The problem might have been that tuyeres --
water-cooled brass valves that control the flow of air into the furnace -- had come off.
And there was excess water in the furnace, which could have set off a reaction.
There are hundreds of ambulance runs at the Ford Rouge complex every year. In
August, a huge coal dust cloud escaped from the old power plant as workers were vacuuming
coal dust out of the plant. It created a dangerous situation but did not ignite.
|
| New Link -
Safety problems took lives,
but penalties differ - Stymied, state officials let Ford make a deal, but small
company's president may serve time -- October 12, 1999, BY NIRAJ
WARIKOO - FREE PRESS STAFF WRITER. On
Sept. 2, Ford Motor Co. struck a deal with the state that immunized itself from criminal
charges stemming from the Rouge power plant explosion that killed six workers. The
same day, the president of a small Mt. Pleasant company was charged with involuntary
manslaughter in an explosion where one worker died. In both cases, state
investigators reached a similar conclusion -- that company officials had ignored numerous
state safety regulations and had put their workers in serious danger for years. So
how did the companies get treated differently? The answers reveal how Ford's
economic and political clout, and its sprawling size, may have allowed it to admit to no
fault in the state's biggest case ever of corporate negligence of workplace safety. And
the different standard raises the question of whether state agencies have the resources to
fully investigate and punish large corporations.
|
| New Link -
Buffalo News - Ford
fined $175,000 for violations at area plant - By FRED O. WILLIAMS - News
Business Reporter 9/29/99 - Ford Motor Co. will pay
$175,000 after being cited for 25 safety violations at its Buffalo Stamping Plant in
Hamburg, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration announced Tuesday. The
penalties follow a six-month investigation that ended Sept. 24, the safety agency said in
a press release. OSHA's office in Bowmansville conducted the investigation. "
Certainly our first concern is for our employees, " Ford spokesman Frank Sopata said.
" We are cooperating with OSHA to correct the violations at Buffalo stamping.
" Among the alleged safety violations were six termed " serious
" by the workplace safety agency. Serious violations are ones that could result in
death or serious injury. OSHA said the company failed to: guard openings in the
floor, guard rotating shaft couplings, equip fan motors with disconnection switches,
provide training or fit-testing for workers using respirators, comply with requirements
for mechanical power presses. According to Sopata, some of the citations involved guards
on machines in remote areas that needed adjustment or that had been removed for
maintenance and not replaced.
|
| New Link -
Official charged in death
- State files against company president in '94 work accident - By Norman Sinclair / The Detroit News
- GLADWIN -- In an unprecedented move, the state has filed criminal charges against a
company official for allegedly violating worker-safety laws. Edmond D. Woods,
the president of Mt. Pleasant Excavating Services Inc., was charged with involuntary
manslaughter and violation of the Michigan Occupational Safety and Health Act in
connection with the death of one worker and the serious injury of another in 1994
workplace accident.
Read the article above and then see if you can answer these questions? 1. So why did
MIOSHA - given the incredible facts which came out against Ford's knowledge and
understanding of the exact risk which caused the Rouge explosion - not pursue criminal
indictments against Ford? 2. In fact, why did Ford get off the hook via a settlement
even before theMIOSHA investigation (especially the 'what management knew' issue) was
concluded?
|
| New Link -
Rouge probe brings fines Ford
knew of danger, state says, September
3, 1999, BY NIRAJ WARIKOO and CHARLOTTE CRAIG - FREE PRESS STAFF WRITERS: Top Ford Motor Co. officials had
been warned for years about safety problems that could cause an explosion in Ford's Rouge
power plant, but they did nothing to fix them, state investigators said Thursday.
The revelation came as the state released its findings on the blast and fined Ford
$1.5 million for safety violations in the plant, the largest state fine ever for
violations of worker-safety laws. The fine was part of an agreement Ford reached
with the state and the United Auto Workers union. Ford also agreed to pay up to $5.5
million to promote worker safety, fund medical burn research and establish scholarships.
Although Ford was cited for numerous safety violations, under the agreement the company
admits to no fault in the Feb. 1 explosion that killed six workers and injured 14. The
state agreed not to seek criminal penalties or refer its findings to the Attorney
General's Office for prosecution, according to Kathleen Wilbur, director of the state
Department of Consumer and Industry Services. Two independent audits, one in
1987 and one in 1997, and an internal report had recommended that Ford install a vent
system to prevent dangerous gas buildups, state investigators said Thursday. Such a
buildup led to the explosion in the 80-year-old power plant in Dearborn. "The
audits specifically told them," said Chuck Lorish, a supervisor with the Michigan
Occupational Safety and Health Administration who investigated the blast. "But they
took a look at them and said, 'Naaaa.' " State investigators said Ford
officials, including those on the six-person committee that oversaw the plant's
maintenance, said installing a vent system -- considered the industry standard for the
past 20 years -- would be too costly and cumbersome to maintain. "One memo complained
that if we upgraded, we'll have to upgrade every year," Lorish said. In 1989, a Ford
study that recommended the vent installation went up the chain of command, but it was
never passed on to Ford's safety division.
|
| Rouge Steel plant worker
dies after being overcome by fumes - August 19, 1999 ASSOCIATED
PRESS . A Rouge Steel plant worker who inhaled noxious fumes Thursday morning was
killed and two other workers were hospitalized, officials said.The workers were found just
after 5 a.m. in a catwalk area of the blast furnace building, a Dearborn police dispatcher
said.
|
| Worker at Rouge killed - Fumes
overcome men in steel company accident - August 20, 1999 BY NIRAJ WARIKOO,
and RACHEL KONRAD FREE PRESS STAFF WRITERS
- One worker was killed and four were injured early Thursday after they were overcome by
fumes inside a furnace at the Rouge Steel Co. plant in Dearborn. The workers, contracted
by Metro Industrial Contracting Inc. of Oak Park, were in a blast furnace that had been
shut down so they could perform routine maintenance on a gas scrubber. Workers and
officials said the furnace is usually shut down for maintenance about every three weeks,
but it was unclear how the workers encountered the fumes, or what kind of fumes they were.
John Hancock, an attorney for Metro Industrial, said the workers were cleared to work on
the gas scrubber by Rouge Steel officials. He said Rouge Steel was supposed to have purged
the area of gas. Rouge Steel officials said Thursday that the accident is under
investigation. Francis Kidd, 44, of Gladstone went into cardiac arrest and was taken to
Oakwood Hospital in Dearborn, where he died. The accident is the third this year within
the sprawling Ford Rouge auto plant complex in Dearborn, including an explosion in
February that killed six workers and seriously injured 14. Last month an explosion caused
by hot slag started a fire at a garage at the Rouge Steel complex, injuring one worker.
|
| New Link -
Survivors, families remain on the
road to recovery September 3, 1999, BY WENDY WENDLAND FREE PRESS STAFF WRITER . Mary Jane Blow's
husband, Warren, used to spoil her rotten. He took care of their Dearborn Heights house
and the finances. He was good to her. Then one morning -- Feb. 1, 1999 -- he went to
work and never came home. "It was a very bad tragedy, that's all I can say. I
lost a good husband," said Blow of her mate of 25 years. "It's hard. I'm trying
to be strong." Six men, including Warren Blow, 51, died in the Rouge explosion.
Fourteen others were injured. Numerous workers suffered emotional pain. Seven months
later, they are still healing emotionally and physically. Most of the victims and their
families were still examining the details of a settlement reached by the Michigan
Department of Consumer and Industry Services, Ford Motor Co. and the UAW when it was
announced Thursday. They are still struggling with the pain. Blow said she
believes Ford, which she calls "the boys," is trying to do all it can for her
and the other widows. The widows meet regularly to offer one another support.
|
| New Link - Fines are only part of picture , Firms'
commitment is crucial for safety, September 3, 1999, BY CHARLOTTE W. CRAIG
- FREE PRESS AUTOMOTIVE WRITER, Will the
state's $7-million settlement with Ford Motor Co. over the February explosion at the
automaker's Rouge manufacturing complex make life safer for workers in Michigan or the
United States? While Ford has launched a serious effort to upgrade safety in all its
plants in North America and around the world, say company executives, the effort was
prompted by the accident, rather than any government fines.
|
| New Link - Ford offers settlement to
block lawsuits over Michigan plant explosion - By Jerry White, 26 July 1999. The
company has offered the families of the six workers killed and 14 injured $1 million each
and some additional benefits, in a settlement that will also reportedly ban the survivors
or their families from publicly talking about the blast. Legal and worker safety analysts,
however, believe that Ford wants to prevent new details about safety violations from
emerging even in a failed lawsuit. Moreover, under Michigan law workers can sue third
parties, such as boiler and equipment manufacturers, who in turn could sue Ford, further
embroiling the company in a legal and public relations scandal. Moreover, the settlement
offer coincides with the ongoing negotiations between the United Auto Workers and Ford for
a new national contract. From the day of the explosion UAW officials have defended
management and claimed the facility was one of the safest in Ford's system. Further
evidence of Ford's criminal negligence both implicates the union, which also ignored the
power plant workers' safety complaints, and further discredits the UAW's promotion of
labor-management “partnership,” the central theme of its contract talks with
Ford. And a fine quote by yours truly: "Enrico Schaefer, an attorney and workplace
safety advocate who maintains a web site dedicated to the Rouge plant explosion
(www.hilbornlaw.com/rougeplant), recently commented on the offer. “Ford has no
history of altruism when it comes to handling potential litigation or injuries resulting
from its alleged negligence. Anyone would be naive to rule out the possibility here that
there is a lot of dirty laundry in the Rouge Power Plant hamper... Early reports paint a
pretty grim picture of the state of disrepair of the power plant, the lack of adequate
'state of the art' safety systems and the antiquated equipment. If I'm a Ford lawyer,
bean-counter or bureaucrat, I worry far less about the particulars of this disaster and
more about the long-term implications of a long drawn out, and very public, legal
battle... To the extent the information does come out, Ford must do everything in its
power to make it come out as quietly as possible.”
Ford is also reportedly seeking to make the families to sign confidentiality agreements
so that they can't even discuss the settlements with each other. Workers believe this is
aimed at sowing dissension among the families. Abandoned by the UAW and under pressure
from their attorneys to settle, the families of two injured workers have accepted Ford's
offer. Others are saying they will await the results of the official investigation and
press for the truth to be revealed.
|
| New Link -
Rouge safety guidelines studied
- Ford hires consultant to prevent accidents - July 27, 1999 BY
NIRAJ WARIKOO FREE PRESS STAFF WRITER.
In light of the Rouge power plant explosion that killed six people, Ford Motor Co.
is developing safety guidelines to prevent such accidents. Ford hired CEC Consultants, a
Cleveland firm, to help it examine safety procedures at power plants across North America
and develop a checklist for dealing with sensitive operations, according to workers and a
consultant involved with the project. Some workers at the Dearborn plant say that
such a checklist, and additional staffing, might have prevented the Feb. 1 blast -- the
deadliest in an auto plant in at least 50 years.
|
| New Link - Worker injured in explosion at
Dearborn Rouge complex E, Associated
Press - Monday, July 19, 1999 - DearbornARBORN -- A small
explosion at the Rouge Steel plant this morning injured one worker and destroyed the roof
of an abandoned garage, police said. An explosion at the same complex in February
killed six Ford Motor Co. employees and seriously injured 14 others. Firefighters
responded to a report of an explosion about 10:30 a.m. and discovered a slag pot had
exploded, Dearborn Police Chief Ron Deziel said. Part of the hot slag fell onto the
roof of a maintenance office, setting it ablaze, said Bill Hornberger, a Rouge Steel vice
president. The fire was quickly extinguished. One worker employed by Levy and Co.,
which handles the slag, was treated on site for a burn on one of his arms and released,
Deziel said.
|
| New Link - 2 Rouge Industries loses $14
million - DEARBORN -- Rouge Industries Inc. reported a net loss of $14.8
million, or 67 cents per share, for the second quarter of 1999 vs. net income of $6.2
million, or 28 cents per share, in the second quarter of 1998. The loss in 1999 was
due principally to the continuing effect of the Feb. 1 explosion and fire at the Rouge
Complex Powerhouse.
|
| New Link - Ford's proposal called unusual
- Rouge settlement aims to avoid future hassles June 25, 1999 BY
NIRAJ WARIKOO FREE PRESS STAFF WRITER
Ford Motor Co.'s offer of $1 million to the family of each worker injured or killed
in the Rouge plant explosion is highly unusual and is designed to prevent future legal and
public relations hassles, legal and worker safety analysts say. Under the offer, workers
would give up their right to sue. "They're not just giving this money to
workers. They're getting something in return," said Ed Welch, director of the
workers-compensation center at Michigan State University's School of Labor and Industrial
Relations. He said it makes economic sense for Ford in order to avoid legal problems. The
offer, if accepted, would also help quell growing concerns about safety and maintenance in
the plant. It comes weeks after reports that workers had filed safety complaints before
the blast and that Ford had been hindering state investigators. And it may placate the
family members of some killed workers who have complained that Ford was ignoring their
welfare months after the blast. Welch said that ongoing negotiations between the UAW and
Ford also may have played a part in Ford's decision to offer the settlement.
|
| New Link - UAW puts family first at '99
talks - Negotiations open at Ford; today they move to Daimler-Chrysler- Bargaining to
renew contracts for 388,000 U.S. hourly autoworkers began Monday with the United Auto
Workers emphasizing its historic mission -- the betterment of working families.
|
| New Link -
Ford Rouge offer tops $30
million Each of 20 families would get $1 million, plus salaries, trusts By David Shepardson / The Detroit News .
Ford Motor Co.'s written offer to settle 20 potential lawsuits from the Rouge
Powerhouse explosion will swell to more than $30 million under a confidential settlement
proposal, several attorneys for the victims said Thursday.
|
| New Link - Rouge blast victims offered $20
million - Ford payout could go higher to 14 injured in boiler explosion and
families of six killed- By David Shepardson /
The Detroit News . Ford Motor Co. has offered at least $20 million
to settle potential lawsuits from the families of the six killed and 14 badly injured
victims in the Rouge complex explosion.
Company spokesman John Spelich confirmed Wednesday that Ford had
offered settlements in the Feb. 1 explosion of the complex's powerhouse, but would not
discuss details.
|
| New Link -Ford
now helps in Rouge probe State investigators say they are receiving documents about safety
at the explosion site - July 2, 1999 - BY
NIRAJ WARIKOO FREE PRESS STAFF WRITER.
After months of hindering state investigators looking into the Rouge blast, Ford
Motor Co. is now cooperating with them, state officials say. The change came after
the Free Press reported that Ford was obstructing the state investigation into the
explosion that killed six workers and injured several others.
|
| New Link - Ford offers $20 million to settle
Rouge claims June 24, 1999 BY NIRAJ WARIKOO and CECIL ANGEL
FREE PRESS STAFF WRITERS -
Meanwhile, Dearborn Fire Chief Jack McArthur said Ford would submit a report on its
findings during the nearly five-month investigation into the Rouge complex explosion by
the third week in July, and after that a determination will be made on the exact cause of
the explosion. The investigation has centered on whether the valves were open
to the boiler and whether they might have been leaking. Some employees have accused Ford
of neglecting the boiler's maintenance, a contention the company denies. he two
state investigations _ one into the Boiler No. 6 and a second into worker safety _ will
likely not be ready until August, said Maura Campbell, a spokeswoman for the Michigan
Occupational Safety and Health Administration |
| New Link Rouge blast report expected later
- Postponement raises concerns about explosion investigation. June 14, 1999
BY NIRAJ WARIKOO, FREE PRESS STAFF WRITER. Dearborn
-- In a change from previous statements, city officials in Dearborn say they will not
release a report on the cause of the Feb. 1 Ford Rouge blast for up to six months, the
Free Press has learned. The decision comes after Dearborn fire officials had repeatedly
said, as late as last week, that a preliminary report on the cause of the blast would be
released in mid-June. New Link State, Ford at odds in probe
- Rouge workers worried about safety before blast May 29, 1999 BY
NIRAJ WARIKOO FREE PRESS STAFF WRITER - New problems are
emerging for Ford Motor Co. in connection with the Rouge complex power plant blast in
February that led to the deaths of six workers, the Free Press has learned.
 | State investigators say the company is hindering their investigation into any safety
violations at the plant. |
| Three of the six people who died from injuries in the blast had filed health and safety
complaints, family and coworkers say. |
| One of the men who died had repeatedly warned coworkers to "stay away" from
Boiler No. 6, where the explosion originated.
Ford officials deny obstructing investigators, but acknowledge tensions exist. They would
not release information about safety complaints, citing privacy issues. Michigan
Occupational Safety and Health Administration officials said Ford used to have a good
record of cooperating with safety investigators. But that has changed, they said. Ford
Motor Co. has retained the international law firm of McDermott, Will and Emery -- an
800-attorney law firm in Washington, D.C., that represents companies -- to represent it
during the investigation. "It has been a different dynamic than with Ford in the
past," said Maura Campbell, spokeswoman for the state's Department of Consumer and
Industry Services, which oversees MIOSHA. "Since this firm entered, it has slowed the
process. Everything was going fine and then this.
|
|
| Safety agency says
Ford hinders probe into February explosion at Michigan factory- By Jerry White, 8 June 1999 - More than four months have
passed since the February 1 explosion at Ford Motor Co.'s River Rouge complex power plant
in Dearborn, Michigan that led to the deaths of six workers. Spokesman from the Michigan
Occupational Safety and Health Administration (MIOSHA) are now saying that Ford management
is obstructing its investigation into the blast, the deadliest in an auto plant in the
last 50 years.
|
| Dearborn officials find Ford
cooperative:State, not city, gripes about the blast probe, June 2,
1999, BY NIRAJ WARIKOOFREE PRESS STAFF WRITER.Dearborn
fire officials defended Ford Motor Co. on Tuesday, saying that the auto company has been
"extremely cooperative" in its probe into the Rouge power plant explosion. In a
Free Press article Saturday, state officials said that Ford was hindering their
investigation into the Feb. 1 blast that led to the deaths of six workers.Meanwhile, fire
officials said Tuesday that test results indicate that a natural gas valve on the boiler
that exploded was open at the time of the blast. But it was unclear whether that was the
incorrect position for the valve, said officials.Dearborn Fire Marshal Rich Polcyn, who is
heading up Dearborn's investigation into the cause of the explosion, said that he has had
"complete and total cooperation" from Ford officials."This is the one of
the most open and detailed investigations."Michigan Occupational Safety & Health
Administration officials said this week they stand by their claims that Ford officials are
hindering the state's workplace safety investigation. Ford officials have maintained they
are fully cooperating with investigations by that agency and the City of Dearborn.
|
| Rouge Steel reported $76
million in losses - By David Shepardson /
The Detroit News - Tuesday from the Feb. 1 Rouge complex
powerhouse explosion that killed six Ford Motor Co. workers and injured two dozen. Thomas
Abrams, an analyst at Credit Suisse FirstBoston, said Rouge losses from the accident could
total at least $150 million, but nearly all would be covered by insurance, including some
lost profits. Its insurance companies have advanced Rouge $35 million in recognition of
its ongoing losses. The company also said it plans to spend $40 million for a new
electrical substation and steam system. The Feb. 1 explosion and fire in the powerhouse of
the 1,100-acre site caused more than $1 billion in losses in the Henry Ford-designed
industrial complex where 10,000 people are employed.
|
| First Rouge explosion suit
filed - Wrongful death charged by the survivors of Wyandotte - By David Shepardson / The Detroit News - The
family of Kenneth Anderson, 44, a Wyandotte pipe fitter who worked in the powerhouse and
died Feb. 14 from injuries suffered in the explosion, filed a wrongful-death lawsuit in
Wayne Circuit Court against Rouge Steel.
As the investigation into the accident enters its fourth month, a group of 20
investigators, including representatives of Ford, Rouge Steel and their three insurers,
state boiler inspectors and state occupational safety officials, meets each Tuesday.
Investigators are looking at whether there was a second explosion, said Dearborn
Fire Chief Jack McArthur. His office hopes to have a preliminary cause announced by
mid-June. Safety precautions and maintenance records will be at issue in upcoming
lawsuits. In the weeks before the accident, workers near the powerhouse
complained of the smell of gas emanating from Boiler No. 6. Anderson's attorney Gerard
Mantese suggested replacement valves should have been installed and that there should have
been "appropriate exhaust fans installed in and around Boiler No. 6 so as to avoid an
unreasonable risk of an explosion." Late in April, investigators X-rayed
twisted valves on the seven-story boiler. Ford or Rouge Steel could be fined
for safety violations involving training and maintenance.
|
| Reuters News Reports ..."Rouge Plant Will Be Reborn Updated 5:03 AM
ET May 5, 1999 (DEARBORN) -- Ford Motor Company says its Rouge Plant, the site of adeadly
explosion in February, will be getting a makeover. Ford Chairman William Clay Ford Junior
said yesterday that the plant will be subject to an environmental assessment and
old buildings will be removed while otherswill be refurbished. Six workers were killed in
the explosion earlier thisyear at the plant." -- There is no word yet on the
motivation for the 'makeover.' The environmental assessment may be in response to the
potential asbestosexposure caused by the explosion at the plant.
|
| Press
Release: Rouge Steel Target of First Liability Lawsuit Stemming from Rouge Plant
Explosion. TROY, Mich., May 1 /PRNewswire/ -- The Estate of Kenneth Anderson filed suit
today against Rouge Steel Company, in connection with the February 1,1999 explosion at the
Ford Power Plant that claimed six lives. The suitwas filed in Wayne County Circuit
Court, Detroit, Michigan. The lawsuit alleges that Rouge Steel had
joint control over the operations, maintenance, and safety at the Power Plant, and
negligently maintained dangerous conditions at the plant. Rouge Steel Company
jointly owned the plant with Ford Motor Company as tenants in common. The suit
alleges that Kenneth Anderson was an employee of Ford Motor Company, thereby subjecting
Rouge Steel to liability for negligence. Kenneth Anderson, then
44, was the youngest of the Ford Motor Company workers to die in the plant explosion.
He suffered catastrophic injuries,including painful disfigurement of his skin and
destruction of his lungs. He suffered agonizing pain until his death on February 14, 1999.
The lawsuit was filed by the firm of Mantese Miller and Mantese,
P.L.L.C. in Troy, Michigan. Gerard Mantese, lead counsel on the case, stated,
"This horrible explosion was avoidable. Some workers had expressed their
fears about the dangers at that plant over substantial periods of time, but their concerns
were not dealt with appropriately."Mr. Mantese also stated that he is investigating
whether other companies have liability for the explosion. Mr. Mantese emphasized,
"Too manyworkers pay with their lives and their limbs in accidents that could have
been avoided."
|
| Rouge blast probe focuses on
valves in the powerhouse - March 4, 1999 BY NIRAJ WARIKOO,
Free Press Staff Writer. Investigators looking into the Ford Rouge plant
explosion -- now the deadliest accident at an auto facility in at least 50 years -- are
examining the valves that controlled gas flow to a powerhouse boiler. County Circuit
Judge Paul Teranes granted the request to prevent Ford from altering or destroying
evidence in the powerhouse at the Rouge complex in Dearborn on Feb. 23. This order
prevented entry into the blast site. But Friday, he modified his ruling to say the
Dearborn fire marshal has control over the evidence and could continue the investigation.
Historians and auto officials say the blast was the deadliest accident at an auto
facility in at least 50 years and the worst in Ford's history.
|
| Ford pays workers idled, injured
by blast at Rouge power plant - Ford pays workers idled, injured by blast at Rouge
power plant - February 20, 1999 - BY NIRAJ WARIKOO
Free Press Staff Writer : "Some power plant workers were interviewed by
investigators this week. Several said Friday that some leaky gas valves on pipes leading
up to the boiler were due to be replaced. The replacement valves were sitting on a
wooden pallet when the explosion occurred. Gerald Nyland, a boiler operator who was
injured, said the power plant was running on "bubble gum and bobby pins," and
Ford was only doing enough to keep it operating until it built a new plant."
Ford officials disagreed.
|
| Workers safety - From the first day of the tragedy the
United Auto Workers union has, in advance of any investigation into the blast, gone out of
its way to exonerate Ford management. Indeed, barely two weeks after the explosion
hundreds of UAW officials gathered with their Ford counterparts for the annual
"UAW-Ford leadership conference" at the Disneyland Hotel in Anaheim, California,
where they discussed how to boost productivity and profits. By Jerry White -20
February 1999.
|
| America's workplaces--among the deadliest in the industrialized world -
From the first day of the tragedy the United Auto Workers union has, in
advance of any investigation into the blast, gone out of its way to exonerate Ford
management. Indeed, barely two weeks after the explosion hundreds of UAW officials
gathered with their Ford counterparts for the annual "UAW-Ford leadership
conference" at the Disneyland Hotel in Anaheim, California, where they discussed how
to boost productivity and profits. By Jerry White -13 February 1999.
|
| A pat on the
head from the Detroit News - By Jerry White
-6 February 1999 - The United Auto Workers is getting good marks from the
business establishment and the media in Detroit for its performance in the aftermath of
Monday's fatal explosion at the Ford Rouge plant. The Detroit News business writer
Jon Pepper went out of his way to give the union officials a pat on the head in his column
Wednesday, entitled "UAW applauds Ford as company shows workers it really
cares." Last year alone, the automaker cut $2.2 billion from its operating
costs, double its goal, and eliminated 9,000 jobs. It stands to reason that these
cutbacks, combined with the lack of any independent representation of the workers'
interests, contributed to the conditions that led to the explosion. Last Monday's blast,
moreover, was the most devastating, but by no means the only fatal accident in recent
years.
|
| Second Ford
Rouge worker dies - By Jerry White -6
February 1999 - There is a national code of procedures to close all valves
that carry fuel into the firebox whenever the boiler is shut down. Also, by law, there are
vents on the fuel lines that allow any remaining fuel to escape through the roof, not
travel down to the boiler. The gas should never have reached the boiler. Never. "I
read in the papers that these workers 'blank' the pipes to stop gas from entering the
firebox. We don't do that at my plant. No way. We don't need to because the valves shut
off the gas. Blanking is an extreme precaution you use only if the valves won't shut off
the gas flow. Maybe the valves were old and the men thought the gas might leak by. Maybe
the escape vents were plugged. "There are also what are called Maxon valves,
certified by the American Association of Mechanical Engineers, that are hooked to an
electrical circuit. When you shut the boiler down, the valves automatically shut and stop
the fuel intake. If the water level is low, the valve shuts off. If the oxygen level is
low, the valves slam shut. The valves are the most important thing because if you have
raw, unburned fuel in the firebox all you need is a little more heat and you get a massive
explosion.
|
| Care for Rouge victims will
cost Ford, insurers millions -By Mike
Martindale and Mike Wowk / The Detroit News - Insurers and Ford
Motor Co. will spend millions of dollars to pay for the treatment of the more than two
dozen workers injured when a boiler exploded and sent a fireball ripping through the
six-story powerhouse at the Ford Rouge complex. But those workers and their families
shouldn't expect millions more in compensatory damages from the employer.
|
| Experts Check Plant Today:
Feb 2, 1999 By Charlie Cain / News Lansing
Bureau Chief. The state's last inspection of the plant was
in January 1996 after a water pump turbine explosion, but there were no serious injuries,
said Commerce Department spokeswoman Maura Campbell. The state issued three
citations at the time: a training violation, a violation for not following proper
procedures and one for an unidentified control value, she said. The state closed the
complaint file in August 1997 after fines were paid and safety issues corrected.
A boiler at the Ford plant passed an inspection by Ford's insurance company
last May, state records show. After Monday's explosion, the state dispatched three
inspectors to the site: a boiler inspector and an inspector and supervisor from the
Michigan Occupational Safety Health Act information division. The three inspectors
were unable to get to the accident scene Monday because of concerns over "secondary
fires and toxic fumes," Campbell said. When they inspect the site today, they
will wear protective clothing, including masks, as a precaution against possible asbestos
contamination from the explosion, Campbell said.
|
| Rouge Boiler Passed
Inspection - By Charlie Cain / News
Lansing Bureau Chief Rouge boiler passed inspection - State
inspectors scheduled to be at site today for detailed look at damaged building - MIOSHA's
last inspection of the plant was in January of 1996 after a water pump turbine explosion.
The state issued three citations at the time: a training violation; a violation or not
following proper procedures; and one for an unidentified control value. The state
closed the complaint file in August 1997 after fines were paid and the safety issues
corrected. |
| Looking Ahead: Task force
seeks answers to blast at Rouge complex - (Feb 14, 1999, Det.
News) "The working theory remains such catastrophes usually result from a
series of system failures." Officials know Boiler No. 6 was shut down for routine
maintenance, but somehow became filled with a backup of natural gas, fueling the
explosion. Update: The aging power plant remains roped off and under
24-hour protection by Ford security guards because it is still in a dangerous condition.
Only members of a multiagency task force or others with good reason have been allowed to
enter the powerhouse and then only when accompanied by a member of the task force. All
visitors must be cleared by the task force before entering and must log in and out. The
task force consists of fire and police officers, boiler experts, Occupational Safety and
Health Administration investigators and others. The task force has requested that valves,
some weighing up to 500 pounds, and other damaged boiler equipment be carefully removed
and preserved. Impact: Investigators, including representatives from Ford
Motor Co. and several insurance companies, hope the damaged equipment may hold answers to
what led to the deadly explosion. "We want to see what valves were turned. There may
be arguments about what occurred but they will all agree on the evidence itself,"
Dearborn Fire Chief Jack McArthu said.
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| Death toll hits 5 in explosion
at Rouge complex - A state investigator said a natural gas buildup led to the
explosion at the electrical generating station that served the 1,100-acre suburban Detroit
complex. A final determination of the cause is expected later this month.
|
| Officials push blast probe
as Ford worker is buried - "The boiler experts are certain it was not a steam
explosion," Dearborn Fire Chief Jack McArthur said Monday. "We have to start
looking at other reasons for what caused this.
"We have asked everyone, the state and local investigators ... the structural
engineering and boiler experts ... representatives from Ford Motor Co. and several
insurance companies ... not to rule anything else out now, but help us decide what
evidence must still be preserved and collected." McArthur
said more than 20 people involved in the investigation will be asked to share reports of
their findings. "Hopefully in a week, maybe two, we will be able to sit
down together and find the probable cause," he said. McArthur is especially
interested in reading police interviews done with workers inside the power plant at the
time of the blast. By Mike Martindale and
Mike Wowk / The Detroit News
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| Ford Rouge welder dies at
hospital - State officials said Thursday the blast was caused by a buildup of
gas inside the boiler. Workers at the Rouge power plant said Friday the theory makes
sense, based on their experiences. "There definitely was a gas
buildup," said Barney Trupino, 38, who was working near the boiler at the time of the
blast. "The way the fire went up, ...the way it blew out." However, Ford
officials said they wouldn't be able to pinpoint the cause until the investigation is
complete. Investigators are examining whether the gas lines and natural gas valves
were working correctly at the time of the blast, Dearborn Fire Chief Jack McArthur said
Friday.
|
| State says gas buildup caused
explosion - Michigan Consumer & Industry Services announced today that a gas
buildup caused the boiler explosion Monday at Ford's Rouge Manufacturing Complex. A
media alert released by the state agency said such "furnace explosions" occur
when the firebox inside the boiler has a buildup of gas, which then ignites, causing the
boiler to explode. The 1965 vintage boiler was last inspected on Feb. 20, 1998, according
to the agency. Free Press. February 4, 1999
|
| Some in skilled trades want out of
Rouge pact - When Ford Motor Co. officials began talking about renovating the Rouge
complex last month, they insisted on new work rules in the factories before committing the
company to the $2-billion project. - But now skilled-trades workers at the landmark
manufacturing center in Dearborn are asking UAW Local 600 to scuttle the October union
vote in which workers accepted the new rules.
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| The National Board [1999 Off To
Tragic Start] - A rash of injuries, deaths, and property damage in the first six weeks
of 1999 due to equipment-related incidents has prompted National Board officials to call
for increased vigilance involving boiler and pressure vessel safety. Although many
of the incidents are still being investigated, the two major causes appear to focus on
fuel and combustion problems. In Michigan, a fuel explosion is identified as the
preliminary cause resulting in four deaths, 12 injuries, and shutdown of the Ford Motor
Company Rouge Industrial Complex.
|
| Ford River Rouge Complex:
National Register of Historic Places.
|
| Ford River
Rouge Complex--National Historic Landmark in Michigan
|
| Ford blast claims 3rd life; 8 still
critical - Investigators have said the explosion was caused by a buildup of gas in
a chamber of Boiler No. 6. Workers were shutting off the gas flow to the boiler the
day of the blast because it was due for an annual inspection. A team investigating
the blast did not enter the Rouge plant Friday, said Dearborn Fire Inspector Jack
McArthur. But they expect to take a closer look at the gas valves and indicators of the
plant's boilers. Torches may be used to remove the valves so they can be examined outside
the plant.
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| 99 - Veterans aid
family of Ford victim
|
| Safety Board to Join
Investigation of Explosion at Ford Plant That Killed One, Injured Dozens - The U.S.
Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board (CSB) will join the investigation of an
explosion that ripped through the historic Ford Motor Company River Rouge Plant in
Dearborn, Mich.
|
| Ford blast leaves 1 dead, 21 hurt
|
| Explosion At Aging Power Plant
Spotlights Concerns About Coal -It sent a clear message that aging coal plants —
mainly in the Midwest, and protected by a loophole in environmental regulations —
often constitute threats to reliability and safety, as well as degrade the environment
|
| Second Worker Dies - A
state inspector said Thursday that the explosion was caused by a gas buildup inside a
boiler at the power station. A boiler inspector from the state Department of Consumer
and Industry Services examined the remains of the coal-fired power plant Thursday and
traced the blast to boiler No. 6. However, Ford officials said they wouldn't be able to
pinpoint the cause until the investigation is complete. By
Mike Householder / Associated Press
|
|
|
| Ford Powers Up Rouge Plant
- Ford powers up the Rouge complex - Automaker expects plants to be running at full tilt
Monday - By Lisa Jackson, Katie Merx and
Steve Pardo / The Detroit News
|
| Ford Plant Back at Capacity
- Ford Rouge site runs near capacity - By
Edward L. Cardenas / The Detroit News
|
| Boiler Explosions All To
Common: Boiler blasts all too common-Industrial plant explosions claimed 64 lives
from 1992-97, inspection board reports- By
Mike Wowk and Mike Martindale / The Detroit News.
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