Questions Cloud Death at Plant

By Daniel Wells, Middletown Journal, Ohio

Jun. 26–MIDDLETOWN, Ohio — It will be weeks before family, friends and co-workers know the full story of the events that led to the death of Tom Rogers after a possible chemical release at United Waste Water Services on Lefferson Road.

The facility, which recycles oily wastewater, was closed earlier this week while the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency and the Occupational Health and Safety Administration began investigations following the Saturday, June 21, incident. Fatality investigations typically last about a month, said Dick Gilgrist, director of the Cincinnati OSHA office.

A preliminary autopsy showed Rogers, 45, of Colerain Twp., had an enlarged heart, but it will take toxicology results to determine whether it played a role, said Doyle Burke, Warren County Coroner’s chief investigator.

United President Dave Brown said without air samples it’s impossible to know whether a chemical was released; he said workers at the employee-owned company were trained on handling hazardous materials and evacuation procedures.

“There was no air monitoring done to indicate any release of chemicals,” he said. “I don’t have any data in front of me saying there was a release.”

Middletown Deputy Fire Chief Dennis Sorrell said workers at the facility told firefighters there was a release of sodium hydrosulfide solution and they were not trained to mitigate it. Also, officials said two firefighters were treated and released from Atrium Medical Center for exposure to fumes.

The Cincinnati OSHA office had no history of safety violations at the Middletown facility and Brown said the company’s safety record with the state Bureau of Workmans’ Compensation is better than the industry average.

Normal operations at the facility won’t resume until an industrial hygiene company completes an evaluation of procedures to ensure safety for the facility’s approximately 18 employees, Brown said.

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