No Sprinklers in TN Explosives Plant Building Where Blast Killed 16, Investigators Say

A building where explosives were manufactured in Tennessee was not outfitted with a sprinkler system or fire protection system before a massive explosion killed 16 workers in October, the U.S. Chemical Safety Board said this week.

It’s not clear if fire suppression equipment would have made much difference, however, as one explosion at the Accurate Energetic Systems facility in McEwen triggered multiple other explosions throughout the building, the board said in an update to its ongoing investigation.

“This is one of the deadliest industrial incidents in our country in years,” board Chairman Steve Owens said in a statement. “The CSB’s focus is to determine how and why this horrific event occurred and identify ways to help prevent a terrible tragedy like this from happening again.”

The board has yet to release a cause of the deadly incident. But the 19-page update explained that several employees were pouring highly explosive mixtures into cast boosters at the time. Booster are solidified explosive materials used to amplify blasts in industrial and military blasting operations.

“The first detonation created a pressure wave that set off additional explosives throughout the building,” said CSB Investigator Cruz Redman. “The series of explosions resulted in fatal injuries to sixteen AES employees, injures to several others, the destruction of Building 602, and damage to multiple surrounding structures.”

The investigation is continuing. The board did not give a timeframe for when a final report may be released.

The explosives plant already has come under criticism for allegedly allowing unsafe conditions. A worker-safety group known as the National Council for Occupational Safety and Health said the blast was preventable.

Photo: The aftermath at the military explosives manufacturing plant in Hickman County, on Oct. 10. (WTVF-TV via AP)