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On April 17, 2013, an ammonium nitrate explosion occurred at the West Fertilizer Company storage and distribution facility in West, Texas, eighteen miles (29 km) north of Waco, while emergency services personnel were responding to a fire at the facility.〔 Fifteen people were killed, more than 160 were injured, and more than 150 buildings were damaged or destroyed. Investigators have confirmed that ammonium nitrate was the material that exploded, but the cause of the initial fire is as yet unknown. ==Background== West Fertilizer Company has supplied chemicals to farmers since it was founded in 1962; it was owned by Adair Grain, Inc. and employed nine workers at the facility. At the time of the accident, the plant had last been inspected by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) in 1985. According to records obtained by the Associated Press, OSHA cited the plant for improper storage of anhydrous ammonia and fined it $30; OSHA could have imposed a fine of as much as $1,000. OSHA also cited the plant for violations of respiratory protection standards, but did not issue a fine. OSHA officials said the facility was not on their "National Emphasis Plan" for inspections, because it was not a manufacturer, had no record of a major accident, and the Environmental Protection Agency did not consider it a major risk. After a complaint in 2006 about an ammonia smell coming from the facility, the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality investigated and cited the operator for not having obtained a permit for its two storage tanks containing anhydrous ammonia. A permit was issued once the operators brought the facility into accord with agency regulations and recommendations. Also in 2006, the EPA fined the owners $2,300 for problems that included a failure to file a risk management program plan on time.〔(EPA Envirofacts Warehouse ). Iaspub.epa.gov. Retrieved on April 19, 2013.〕〔Smith, Matt. (Records: Texas plant hadn't told feds about explosive fertilizer ). CNN, April 26, 2013.〕 In June 2012, the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration further fined the facility $5,250 for violations regarding its storage of anhydrous ammonia.〔 According to an open records request by Reuters, the plant had a long history of minor thefts, presumably by people wanting to use anhydrous ammonia to make methamphetamine. The facility lacked burglar alarms or even a fenced perimeter. It installed a surveillance system in 2009 after law enforcement had recommended it.〔Selam Gebrekidan and Joshua Schneyer. ("Exclusive: At Texas fertilizer plant, a history of theft, tampering" ). Reuters, May 3, 2013.〕 In an emergency planning report filed with the EPA in 2011, company officials stated the ammonia storage tanks did not represent a significant fire or explosion hazard. The tanks were still intact following the fire and explosion. According to its last filing with the EPA in late 2012, the company stated that it stored of ammonium nitrate and of anhydrous ammonia on the site. A week after the explosion, Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano told Senate investigators that the company did not appear to have disclosed its ammonium nitrate stock to her department. Federal law requires that the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) be notified whenever anyone has more than one ton of ammonium nitrate on hand, or if the ammonium nitrate is combined with combustible material.〔〔 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「West Fertilizer Company explosion」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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