Axiall Corporation Story Archives - West Virginia Public Broadcasting

Chemical Plant Cited for Safety Violations

A Northern Panhandle chemical plant where chlorine gas spilled from a leaking tank car has been cited for alleged workplace safety violations.

The Occupational Health and Safety Administration issued $25,500 in fines against Axiall Corp.’s Eagle Natrium LLC subsidiary. The Aug. 27 spill occurred at the company’s New Martinsville plant.

The Charleston Gazette-Mail reports Westlake Chemical Corp. bought the plant in September and that the citations were issued last month.

OSHA says three citations involved rules for safely managing hazardous chemicals. A fourth was for communicating such hazards to employees.

A preliminary report issued in October by the National Transportation Safety Board described a crack on one end of the tank car that leaked.

A Westlake spokesman didn’t immediately return an email seeking comment on the citations.

NTSB: Railcar in Chlorine Leak Had 46-Inch Crack

A report by the National Transportation Safety Board says the design of a railcar that leaked chlorine at a New Martinsville plant had been under scrutiny.

The NTSB issued the preliminary report Monday detailing the Aug. 27 chlorine gas spill at the Axiall Natrium plant.

The report describes a 46-inch-long crack on one end of the tank car that leaked, located on a part called the “stub sill.” Ninety tons of chlorine were released from the crack.

The tank was built in 1981 and had a particular “sub sill” underframe called an ACF 200. In 2006, the Federal Railroad Administration issued a safety advisory that noted “defects in some tank cars equipped with the ACF 200 sub sills,” including cracks.

Axiall Corp. spokesman Chip Swearingen says the company is fully cooperating with the NTSB.

Residents Suing Chemical Producer After Chlorine Leak

Residents in the Proctor area of West Virginia are suing one of the nation’s largest chlorine producers after a cloud of chlorine gas leaked from a railcar inside a company chemical plant.

Attorney Jim Bordas says Saturday’s chlorine leak at the Axiall Corp. plant forced residents from their homes and damaged their properties. The National Transportation Safety Board said Thursday that about 17,000 gallons of chlorine leaked out.

Officials with Westlake Chemical Corp., which completed a $3.8 billion acquisition of Axiall on Wednesday, didn’t respond to requests for comment from The Intelligencer.

The newspaper reports that Bordas filed in Marshall County Circuit Court on behalf of Tim Bohrer, Rhonda Bohrer, Roy Yoho and Darlene Yoho.

National Agency to Investigate Chlorine Leak at W.Va. Plant

The National Transportation Safety Board will investigate the cause of a chlorine leak at a West Virginia chemical plant that prompted some communities nearby to evacuate and workers to seek medical attention.

The Charleston Gazette-Mail reports that the NTSB announced its decision Wednesday to investigate the leak at Axiall Corp.’s chemical plant in Natrium.

Axiall said a rail tanker car loaded with liquid chlorine developed a leak at the chemical facility on Saturday. The resulting cloud forced hundreds from their homes. Five plant workers were treated at an on-site health facility and two other workers were treated at a hospital and later released.

On Saturday, the NTSB also said it would not investigate, but agency spokesman Eric Weiss said Wednesday that unspecified “new information” prompted the agency to change course. He did not elaborate.

Chlorine Leak at West Virginia Chemical Plant Investigated

Officials are investigating the cause of a chlorine leak at a chemical plant near Proctor, West Virginia.

The Intelligencer reports that 33,000 gallons of liquid chlorine leaked Saturday from a railcar inside Axiall Corp.’s Natrium chemical plant. The resulting cloud forced hundreds of people from homes in the area.

Department of Environmental Protection spokeswoman Kelley Gillenwater says local, state and federal officials are working to analyze the cause of the leak. She says the chlorine gas has since dissipated and that the risk to the environment from the leak is expected to be minimal.

Operations at the chemical plant continued normally Monday.

Chlorine Leak from Axiall Corp. Sends Two to Hospital, Evacuates Communities

Two people were transported to hospitals for inhalation injuries, others were treated at the site of a reported chlorine leak in Marshall County. Communities in the area were evacuated. Officials from Axiall Corporation say a rail tanker car loaded with liquid chlorine developed a leak Saturday morning inside the company’s facility near Proctor, W.Va.

By early Saturday evening when air monitoring indicated the gas had dissipated, company officials gave local authorities the “all clear.” Community members could return home, and traffic in and along the river could resume. Work to transfer the remaining chlorine to another rail car continues at the Natrium plant – formerly owned by PPG and now by Atlanta-based Axiall.

Many questions remain unanswered about the event. The West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection is working with company crews and the Environmental Protection Agency to investigate how the accident occurred. How much chlorine was released and over what period of time is still unreported. Community members are also asking why a warning siren didn’t sound.

Updated at 5:30 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 27

Axiall Corporation just released a statement saying the two workers who were hospitalized because of exposure to chlorine gas have been released, and that traffic is cleared to resume on Route 7 in Ohio, and Route 2 in West Virginia, as well as boat traffic along the Ohio River.

Updated at 1:50 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 27

Statement released from Atlanta-based Axiall Corporation:

At approximately 8:40 a.m. on Saturday, Aug. 27, 2016, a rail tanker car loaded with liquid chlorine developed a leak inside the AxiallNatrium chemical facility, which is located in Marshall County near Proctor, W.Va. The rail car is no longer leaking. Hazmat crews are on site and are evaluating the railcar and area of the leak. The Natrium plant was evacuated and is currently shut down. Nearby communities in Proctor and Kent, Ohio, and northern New Martinsville, W.Va. were evacuated and state highway 7 in Ohio and highway 2 in West Virginia, as well as the Ohio River, were closed to vehicle traffic. Nearby industrial plants were ordered to have their employees shelter in place. One Axiall employee and a contract worker were transported to offsite hospitals for treatment; others were treated at an onsite health facility.

Updated at 12:50 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 27

Two people have been transported to the hospital for inhalation injuries; four or five are being treated on-site, according to Kelley Gillenwater at the state’s Department of Environmental Protection.

A rail car at the Axiall site in Marshall County has been reported as the the leak. DEP reports the capacity of the car is estimated to be about 30,000 gallons of pressurized liquid chlorine. The leak was reported at 8:30 a.m. Saturday, but how much chlorine was released is still unclear.

Marshall County emergency officials are reporting a chlorine leak in the northern panhandle along the Ohio River is under control, but a cloud of that resulted from the leak is still moving south toward New Martinsville. Communities continue to be evacuated, but state emergency officials say the cloud is dissipating.

Updated at 11:16 a.m. Saturday, August 27

On Ohio side – state route 7 is shut down; voluntary evacuation, according to Monroe County Sheriff Department.

Original Post:

Law enforcement officials in Marshall County say there’s an uncontrolled chlorine leak at the Axiall plant along Route 2. The leak is about 26 miles south of Wheeling. Route 2 has been shut down and communities to the south, including Kent, West Virginia, are being evacuated. We’ll have more updates as we receive them.