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The 2008 Georgia sugar refinery explosion was an industrial disaster that occurred on February 7, 2008 in Port Wentworth, Georgia, United States. Fourteen people were killed and 42 injured when a dust explosion occurred at a sugar refinery owned by Imperial Sugar. Dust explosions had been an issue of concern among United States authorities since three fatal accidents in 2003, with efforts made to improve safety and reduce the risk of recurrence. However, a safety board had criticized these efforts as inadequate. The refinery was large and old, featuring outdated construction methods. This is thought to have contributed to the fire's severity. The origin of the explosion has been narrowed down to the center of the factory. It was believed to have occurred in a basement beneath storage silos. Investigations conducted by the Department of Justice ruled out deliberate criminal activity in 2013.〔〔 ("Imperial Sugar avoids criminal charges for fatal Georgia plant dust explosion." )] ''www.dualdraw.com'', March 4, 2013.〕 As a result of the disaster, new safety legislation was proposed. The local economy declined because the factory was closed down. Imperial intended to rebuild it and return to production by the end of 2008, with replacement buildings to be completed by summer the following year. Some victims filed legal suits for damages against the owner and the company hired to clean up the refinery. Imperial said that the explosion was the main reason for a major loss in the first quarter of 2008. The U.S. Chemical Safety Board released its report on the incident in September 2009, saying that the explosion had been "entirely preventable."〔 Investigations by Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives also concluded that sugar dust was the fuel for an explosion that could have been prevented.〔 By September 2010, 44 suits had been filed in Chatham County Court against Imperial Sugar and/or its cleaning contractor. Eighteen had been settled.〔Skutch, Jan. ("Appellate court rejects pre-trial appeal in Imperial Sugar case." ) ''Savannah Now'', September 23, 2009. Retrieved October 14, 2013.〕 == Background == The sugar refinery was a four-story structure on the bank of the Savannah River. Imperial Sugar, based in Sugar Land, Texas, had bought the refinery and its brand name in 1997 from a previous local owner. Known since construction as the Dixie Crystals refinery, the refinery was the main employer in the town of 3,500 prior to the disaster.〔("Death toll rises at Georgia refinery." ) CNN, February 9, 2008. Retrieved December 5, 2014.〕 It was constructed in 1916 by 400 people who were moved from Louisiana specifically for the purpose, and opened the following year. Imperial bought the refinery together with Savannah Foods to form part of a national supply and distribution network to meet demand from businesses such as Piggly Wiggly, General Mills and Wal-Mart.〔 The refinery sat on a site and was spread across of it. This network was the second largest in the US.〔 Bynum, Russ. ("Ga. sugar refinery demolishing blasted silos." ) USA Today. ''www.usatoday30.usatoday.com'', June 24, 2008. Retrieved September 26, 2014.〕 Workers described the factory as antiquated, with much of the machinery dating back more than 28 years. They said the site was kept operating because it had good access to rail and shipping links for transport.〔 In the last full fiscal year before the disaster, which ended on September 30, 2007, the facility refined 14.51 million hundredweight of sugar, 9% of the nation's requirements, compared to Imperial's Gramercy, Louisiana, refinery, which refined 11.08 million hundredweight of sugar in the same time period. 90% of the raw sugar supplied to the facility came from overseas in that year, and the company expected the "vast majority" to come in from abroad in the year of the explosion as well.〔〔 In the time leading up to the explosion, Imperial Sugar had run into financial difficulties. In the fiscal year ending September 30, 2007, sales fell 8%, while profits were down 50% from that year's fourth quarter, and stock also down by half since April 2007. The last two annual reports by Imperial before the explosion said that any damage to the facility at Port Wentworth would "have a material effect on the company's business, financial condition, results of operations and cash flows."〔 Chapman, Dan.("Sugar refinery near Savannah determined to rebuild." ) Atlanta Journal Constitution, April 13, 2008. ''www.investorvillage.com.'' Retrieved September 27, 2014.〕 Meanwhile, in 2004 the Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board conducted a study into the risks presented by dust explosions after three fatal accidents in the year before. The West Pharmaceutical Services explosion killed six persons, the CTA Acoustics fiberglass insulation manufacturing plant explosion killed seven,〔("CTA Acoustics Dust Explosion and Fire." ) Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board, February 15, 2005. Retrieved December 6, 2014.〕 and the Hayes Lemmerz automotive parts plant explosion killed one,〔("Hayes Lemmertz explosion and fire." ) ''www.csb.gov'', September 27, 2005. Retrieved December 6, 2014.〕 prompting the report. Their report showed that between 1980 and 2005, there had been 281 explosions involving combustible dust, resulting in 119 deaths and 718 injuries.〔("OSHA announces development of a combustible dust standard." ) ''www.nfpa.org'', December 7, 2009. Retrieved January 12, 2015.〕 The Board found that dust explosions posed a severe risk and made a number of recommendations to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration. These had been partly implemented by 2008. The Board continued to be concerned about the potential for further fatal accidents up until Imperial's refinery was the scene of an explosion.〔 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「2008 Georgia sugar refinery explosion」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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