West Virginia explosion leads to improved safety requirements

Five years after a propane explosion at a convenience store in Ghent, W.Va., killed four people and injured six others, progress has been made in U.S. Chemical Safety Board (CSB) recommendations outlined following the incident, the agency announced. The recommendations were aimed at improving training requirements for propane technicians as well as emergency response actions by on-scene technicians and 911 operators. According to the CSB, the accident occurred as an inexperienced worker attempted to transfer propane from a tank located against an outside wall of the store. CSB said it issued 12 recommendations to nine recipients, with most resulting in an “acceptable” action or “open acceptable,” because they are near completion.