State shaken by Kinston report

KINSTON - Leaders of the investigation into the West Pharmaceuticals plant explosion held a public meeting Thursday after releasing a report indicating that the plant didn't do everything it could to prevent the disaster.

Lead Investigator Stephen Selk said the Jan. 29, 2003, explosion occurred when ACumist, a combustible dust used by the plant, accumulated above a suspended ceiling and ignited. The dust had accumulated to between 1/4 and 1/2 of an inch, he said, and national fire codes only allow 1/32 of an inch.

"If the average thickness was 3/8 of an inch and it was all ACumist then the total accumulation would be approximately one ton," Selk said, describing the accumulation as a "sleeping giant."

The ACumist was used as a paste on rubber materials that were then dried using fans, producing the dust and blowing it above the ceiling tiles.

Patsy Gates, an employee of West Pharmaceuticals Inc., worked with ACumist and said that she and the other employees had no idea the material was combustible.

"We would scoop up dried powder," she said. "It looked like lightning bolts because of so much static electricity."

Gates attended the meeting intending to speak in support of West Pharmaceuticals but decided to remain silent after hearing the report. No public comments were made.

"Now I still don't blame West, but I feel differently now knowing that they didn't take precautions," Gates said after the meeting. "They should have told us. They knew."

Gates, who has worked for the plant for 17 years, was not in the room during the explosion but witnessed the immediate aftermath.

"The girl that died, she didn't die instantly," Gates said through tears. "She was trapped under heavy beams, and I had to leave her. It was either one of us or both of us.

"It's hard to look into the eyes of someone and leave them."

Six people died in the explosion, which could be heard and felt for miles, and another 37 were injured. Ten of the victims were airlifted to the N.C. Jaycee Burn Center at UNC Hospitals.

North Carolina adopted International Fire Codes in 2002, which require state and local fire departments to determine what industries should do to avoid combustible dust hazards.

The report on the Kinston explosion, issued by the U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board, recommends that the N.C. Building Code Council amend its use of the international fire code and comply with stricter national guidelines.

"It cannot be said that these provisions were provided for at the West Kinston plant," Selk said.

In a statement released Thursday, West Pharmaceuticals officials denied the report's apparent conclusion that they were remiss in their obligations before the incident.

"West has always considered workplace safety and cleanliness a significant priority and has maintained rigorous standards in all of its manufacturing facilities worldwide," said Donald Morel, West Pharmaceuticals' chairman and chief executive officer, in the release. "The visible work area in Kinston was kept clean and free of dust."

Representatives for N.C. Sens. Elizabeth Dole and John Edwards also were on hand at the meeting and read letters from the politicians in support of West Pharmaceuticals and the investigation board.

In his letter, Edwards thanked the board for "working to bring closure to these unanswered questions."

But it is unclear if the report will bring closure for Gates, who is on workman's compensation and not at work.

"People need to follow the safety guidelines and let their employees know," she said. "When you see people you've worked with, joked with for 17 years, all burned up in the hospital, it's hard to forget."

Contact the State & National Editor at stntdesk@unc.edu.