Date: October 17, 2019
Location: Dodge City, Kansas (USA)
Address: 3201 U.S. 400, 67801
Type: Dust Explosion
Fuel: Blood Meal
Industry: Beef-Packing (Food Processing)
Equipment: Unknown
Company: Cargill (Dodge City)
Database Incidents: None Recorded
Loss: Two Injured
Capital Cost: Unknown
Status: Open
Confirmation: Unconfirmed
Company Description:
According to the company website, Cargill was established over 150 years ago and now has over 150,000 employees across the globe providing retailers, food and beverage manufacturers, and food service companies with food ingredients. It also produces livestock feed; processes beef, poultry, and egg products, and connects producers and users of grains and oilseeds around the globe. The Dodge City facility employs 2,700 people.
Incident Description:
On October 17, 2019, the National Post reported an explosion at a beef-packing plant in Dodge City, Kansas.
Two employees were injured in the incident, which occurred at around 3:30 a.m. in a stand-alone building that processes blood meal, a feed additive. According to the Wichita Eagle, they were flown to a hospital in Wichita to be treated for burn injuries.
A company spokesperson stated that it had suspended some shifts after the explosion but expected to be fully operational soon. The cause of the incident is under investigation.
OSHA Inspections:
An establishment search turned up four OSHA inspections for the Cargill location in Dodge City, but none were flagged for combustible dust.
Sources:
National Post
Wichita Eagle
