For the third time in less than two weeks, workers have been injured and in one case killed in accidents involving wastewater treatment plants.
News reports said two maintenance workers at the treatment plant in Struthers, Pa., were in critical condition after an explosion on the afternoon of Thursday, March 1.
The explosion, which local fire chief Gary Mudryk said was probably caused by methane gas, severely burned plant employees Kenny Stiver and Gary Wilson. They were airlifted to Mercy Hospital in Pittsburgh. Wilson had burns on more than 90 percent of his body, according to sources.
The explosion happened at about 2:30 p.m. The two men reportedly were working in an older part of the plant, which in 2011 added a generator that operates on digester methane. The state fire marshal and OSHA were investigating the incident.
On Feb. 23, five people were injured in a propane explosion Picnic Point Wastewater Treatment Plant in Edmonds, Wash. On the same day, a contractor employee was killed in a trench collapse at the Gatlinburg Wastewater Treatment Plant.
A cluster of such incidents should give pause to any treatment plant team and inspire a review of safety policies and procedures.
