The explosion occurred in the K-Resin plant, the same site as a June 1999 explosion that killed two workers and injured four others. Phillips is the nation's largest producer of K-Resin, a product used in the manufacture of clear plastics for drinking cups, plastic bottles, and other such products. The plant, which employs about 800 workers, is organized by the Paper, Allied-Industrial, Chemical, and Energy Workers International Union (PACE).

About 200 workers attended a meeting at the PACE Local 4-227 union hall two days later to get an update on the explosion. Union officials, lawyers, doctors and counselors spoke to the solemn crowd. Glen Irwin, a PACE union investigator, reported that there would be union members joining the company and OSHA investigation teams, but they did not know yet what caused the explosion.

He also reported that the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, a federal police agency, as part of its "routine" response to explosions since the bombing of a federal office building in Oklahoma, was in the plant to investigate the possibility that the blast was caused by a bomb.

A longtime worker in the lab expressed his belief that the explosion originated in a tank that has been out of service for more than a year. He thought that a chemical residue remained in the tank and over a period of time became unstable, leading to the blast. He compared it to the explosion of a rail car at the plant in April 1999 under similar circumstances.

Derrick Norris, a nine-year veteran of the plant, said, "Normally in an explosion, you would be warned, but there was no vapor cloud, just a boom in an enclosed vessel. It happened so fast."

He noted that Rodney Gott, the supervisor who was killed, as well as the seriously injured maintenance workers, had many years of experience in the plant. This was unlike the two contract workers who were killed in the 1999 K-Resin plant explosion, he explained, who were not properly trained on the procedures.

During the discussion at the meeting several Phillips workers questioned the company's plans to restart several units, stating concerns for workers' safety. An operator in the K-Resin plant emphasized that the unit is understaffed and workers are overworked, despite company promises to increase staffing. Another worker mentioned the fact that the company has ignored a recent report issued by a consulting firm hired by Phillips that recommended hiring more operators.

The company has an abysmal safety record. Thirty deaths have occurred in the past 11 years. In October 1989, the polyethylene plant exploded, killing 23 and injuring 130. In December 1989, a worker was killed after being hit in the head by a piece of sheet metal. In 1992 a worker was crushed to death.

"Phillips takes great pride in its safety record," Jere Smith, a Phillips spokesman, told the Dallas Morning News. He was discussing the explosion and the company's efforts to "avoid these incidents."

Dean Cook is a member of PACE Local 4-227 and a locked-out Crown Petroleum worker. Lea Sherman is a meat packer.  
 
 
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