The Nation - News from Dec. 31, 1987

Ten years after 54 workers were killed in twin Christmas week grain elevator explosions, the government adopted safety standards aimed at limiting accumulations of explosive grain dust. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration said its new regulations could save as many as 18 lives and prevent nearly 400 injuries annually among the nation’s 155,000 grain handlers. In the decade it took to develop the regulations after grain elevators near New Orleans and Galveston, Tex., burst into flames, 59 more workers were killed and 317 were seriously hurt in 190 grain facility explosions. The rules, which take effect March 30, require most grain elevators and terminals to limit accumulations of grain dust to one-eighth of an inch.