Safety Expert Named to Check Rocket Fuel Chemical Plant
A DuPont Corp. industrial safety expert toured a rival Kerr-McGee Corp. plant Monday as preparations began for a safety inspection that may determine whether the company can resume production of a crucial rocket fuel oxidizer.
Tom Braun, head of DuPont’s Safety Management Services Division, was picked by Kerr-McGee to lead an inspection team that will study the safety of ammonium perchlorate production at its Henderson plant, said Kerr-McGee attorney Paul Hejmanowski.
Two people were killed and 326 injured when the Pacific Engineering & Production Co. ammonium perchlorate plant was destroyed May 4 in a series of blasts.
Kerr-McGee resumed production at its plant days after the explosion. The company agreed to shut down last week after Gov. Richard Bryan threatened to file suit to halt production until the cause of the Pacific Engineering plant explosion is determined.
In related action, the Nevada Public Service Commission refused to allow Southwest Gas to move quickly to inspect and repair a 16-inch gas line beneath the demolished plant until investigations of the accident are complete.
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