An executive at the Imperial Sugar Company said Tuesday that he found conditions at a Savannah sugar refinery "so shocking" that he recommended firing the plant manager. The refinery later exploded, killing 13 people.
The comments of Imperial Sugar's Vice President of Operations, Graham Graham, came at a hearing of a U.S. Senate subcommittee on workplace safety. Graham says, he toured the company's refinery in Port Wentworth near Savannah after assuming his position in November.
In his Senate testimony, Graham says, he found plates missing on electrical gear, piles of discarded sugar and other materials littering the facility and "dirty and dangerous" conditions that constituted a "combustible environment." He recommended firing the plant manager. Graham says, he also toured the company refinery in Gramercy, Louisiana and found similar problems.
The Senate was also scheduled to hear from the head of the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration, which last week blasted Imperial Sugar with $8 million in proposed fines.
Tuesday, July 29, 2008
Executive describes dangerous conditions at sugar refinery
