Legal Rights and Compensation After Workplace Explosions

Recent tragic workplace explosions in downtown Rochester, Clinton Township and elsewhere in Michigan demonstrate that employees – while generally working in safe facilities – are still sometimes harmed through poor safety protocols or even unexpected conditions that exist despite stringent OSHA rules and regulations.

For instance, in the Clinton Township explosion, which happened at a facility that firefighters say was “never intended to store large quantities of nitrous oxide and butane,” one bystander was killed and dangerous shrapnel from the blast went flying up to two miles away from ground zero near the intersection of Groesbeck and 15 Mile Road. Emergency vehicles including fire engines and police cars responding to the call were slammed with debris from the ongoing explosions according to officials on the scene. Subsequently, the building’s owner has now been charged with manslaughter according to a local newspaper. Fortunately, though, it appears that no first responders suffered serious injuries at the site of the blast.

In the Rochester incident, a number of people were injured when a propane tank for an outdoor heating unit at a downtown restaurant exploded as it was being ignited. Three of the seven people hurt were children, and diners inside the restaurant were left shaken by the blast which forced closure of the town’s Main Street for several hours.

In another explosion – this time in rural Cass County – a worker at a petroleum pumping station died and another was injured when the facility blew up, shaking nearby homes and startling area residents. The employee who was killed was 71 years old, while the second worker, age 38, suffered relatively minor injuries according to authorities.

Each of these situations involved unintended and unpredictable circumstances that led to innocent people being hurt or killed, and their families being affected forever. Let’s take a moment to describe the outcome of unexpected explosions and discuss some ways that you can protect yourself and those you love from their consequences.

What Factors Can Lead to an Explosion?

Generally, explosions result from a fuel or accelerant (like alcohol, gasoline, propane, or other chemicals) mixing with oxygen in the air and being exposed to an ignition source – which can be caused by someone lighting a cigarette, a spark from static electricity, or perhaps even a cell phone. (Which is why you still see those ubiquitous warning labels at gas stations urging you to turn off your car’s engine and put away your phone, despite Mythbusters debunking the cell phone legend!) Improper or careless handling of flammable liquids or gasses is one of the most common causes of explosions, but there are other circumstances that can result in blasts, including gas leaks like this one in Washtenaw County near Ann Arbor, saturation of the air with combustible dust (as likely happened at this Saginaw County grain elevator), and unexpected chemical reactions such as this situation at a metal foundry in Ottawa County.

What Are the Damaging Effects of Explosions?

Explosions have several immediate effects – including blast or percussive impacts, flying debris, and uncontrolled fire. Some dangerous aftereffects include smoke and even chemical pollution that can also cause subsequent injuries. All of these can result in damage to nearby structures and can harm people in the area of the blast. For instance, collapsing walls may trap or crush people inside buildings, and flying shards of broken glass can result in severe lacerations to exposed individuals. In the case of the Clinton Township explosion, a metal canister propelled by the explosion was determined to have caused the death of a man half a mile away! Downstream impacts on the structural integrity of nearby buildings and long-term physical harm to people who were present in the vicinity of the explosion could take days, weeks, or perhaps months to become apparent.

What Affects Do Blasts Have on the Human Body?

Even a minor explosion can cause significant injuries to people who were present in the immediate area or were even miles away when the incident took place. Studies show that blast pressure of as little as five pounds per square inch can cause burst eardrums in many individuals. Other injuries resulting from explosions include damage to the brain, lungs, and other internal organs; cuts and deep wounds from debris like glass and shrapnel thrown by the blast; broken bones, concussions, and spinal damage if victims are forcefully propelled into stationary objects. Future health effects can also result from smoke inhalation, exposure to harmful chemicals, or severe burns. For instance, chemical substances released in an Ohio train derailment explosion last year include suspected carcinogens which can result in unpredictable effects on human health over time.

How Does One Protect Themselves Against Potential Explosions?

There are definitely steps you can take to protect yourself and others. For example, you can insist that proper work safety practices are followed at your place of employment. If you’re working in a union shop, report any unsafe conditions to your steward or other trusted representative immediately when you observe them. In other on-the-job situations, let your supervisor or safety committee members know about the unsafe conditions you’ve noticed whenever possible. In all cases, it’s smart to submit your safety concerns in writing, and to keep track of any times you’ve personally reported issues by taking detailed notes including what you said, to whom you said it, and when you did so. Let a family member know where you’ve saved your notes just in case. Doing all that can help build a solid paper trail which we can use when you appoint us to represent you in a personal injury lawsuit after an explosion or other incident has taken place.

Of course, being safe doesn’t only mean preventing accidents at work. Michigan employment law also helps protect you and your family from the impact of lost wages if you’re hurt on the job thanks to worker’s compensation insurance, which is mandatory for most employers to provide to their staff members. However, some less-than-honest companies attempt to skirt the rules, and there are exceptions for certain types of employers, so check with us to determine how to proceed in your specific situation if you’re ever injured on the job and are having issues obtaining worker’s comp, or if you find yourself in need of legal representation for a work-related personal injury lawsuit.

If You or Someone You Love Have Been Injured in a Blast, We Can Help

As you probably know, we always serve our clients on a contingency fee basis, so securing our representation costs you nothing at all. We get paid only when you win your case, and our money comes only from court-approved settlement funding – not out of your pocket. So, you have no risk – financial or otherwise – when you ask for our legal representation. To do so, just call us at 855-MIKE-WINS (855-645-3946) or contact us confidentially on our website. We’re here for you 24/7/365.

Content checked by Mike Morse, personal injury attorney with Mike Morse Injury Law Firm. Mike Morse is the founder of Mike Morse Law Firm, the largest personal injury law firm in Michigan. Since being founded in 1995, Mike Morse Law Firm has grown to over 200 employees, served 40,000 clients, and collected more than $1.5 billion for victims of auto, truck and motorcycle accidents. The main office is in Southfield, MI but you can also find us in Detroit, Sterling Heights and many other locations.