Updated July 29, 2024
Date of Incident: May 16, 2017
Location: Mount Gilead, North Carolina (USA)
Address: 149 Homanit USA Road, 27306
Type: Dust Explosion
Fuel: Wood Dust
Industry: Wood Products (Laminate Flooring Manufacturer)
Equipment: Unknown
Company: Unilin North America, LLC
Previous Incidents: None Recorded
Loss: 1 Fatality, 1 Injury
Capital Cost: Unknown
Description
One worker was killed and another was seriously injured when a combustible dust explosion occurred at the Unilin Wood Products facility in Montgomery County, North Carolina around 3pm. Seedy Bah, who had been employed at Unilin for nine years and a temporary worker, Raymond Thompson, were reportedly cleaning (blowing down) combustible wood fiber, dust, and debris in an area surrounding a reversing belt when the explosion happened.
EMS crews on the scene treated the two men before they were transported to burn units. One of the men was airlifted to the burn unit at UNC Hospital in Chapel Hill and the other was flown to Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center in Winston-Salem. Mr. Bah succumbed to his injuries the following day. Mr. Thompson was treated and released.
The Unilin plant owned by Mohawk Industries manufactures chip board products, including laminate flooring, from reconstituted wood. There is no estimate on the damage to the plant. A spokesperson for Mohawk Industries says no incidents of this magnitude have ever happened at this plant. Unilin had recently expanded its nearby Thomasville facility with the addition of a 100,000-square-foot warehouse. The company’s total local workforce is over 350.
OSHA opened an Inspection Detail report for the incident on May 17, 2017 citing the company for $50,125 in penalties for seven serious violations. The OSHA case is pending abatement.
Related Companies: None
News Articles : Link 1, Link 2
Industry Articles: Link 1, Link 2
OSHA Citations: 2017
Keywords: Sawdust, Wood Dust, Flooring, OSHA
