Synthron Building on Verge of Collapse

MORGANTON—State labor officials said Monday that their investigation into the Synthron explosion may be delayed for several weeks after a recent inspection showed the remaining structure on the verge of collapse and unsafe for accident investigators.

State Labor Commissioner Cherie Berry said N.C. Department of Labor inspectors still were unable to set foot inside the wreckage after the Jan. 31 explosion at the chemical plant.

“No one has been able to step inside to begin a physical examination of the evidence,” Berry said. “We’re anxious to find the cause of the accident, but we don’t want to risk the lives of others while that building is teetering like that.”

Berry said labor inspectors and Synthron officials this week will discuss steps that would enable the labor department to continue the investigation into the workplace tragedy that took the life of one employee and injured another 13 workers.

“It would be pure speculation to tell you today what caused the accident because no one has been able to look at all the evidence, but there are a number of things we want to examine,” Berry said.

Berry said the labor department will look at the chemical reactor to see whether a catastrophic mechanical failure took place and whether the equipment was properly maintained. Labor officials will also investigate to see if the reactor could handle the chemical formula at the time of the accident.

Boiler and pressure vessel inspectors for the department who specialize in equipment such as the chemical reactors also will check to see if other equipment such as seals and pipes contributed to the accident.

“We have a great team ready to go inside,” Berry said. “We have inspectors who specialize in chemical accidents, and we have pressure vessel experts. We’re going to find out what happened. We just have to make sure the building doesn't’t collapse while we have people in there. Let me add that officials for the city of Morganton and Burke County have been great to work with. They’re really professional, and we'll share with them all the information we have.”

The labor department is the state’s regulatory agency for workplace safety. Labor department officials can issue fines when work safety rules are violated.

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