1 Dead, 3 Injured in Tennessee Chemical Plant Accident

An industrial accident involving process equipment Friday afternoon at a chemical plant in southeastern Tennessee left one contract worker dead and three others injured, local media report.

The accident happened at about 1:20 p.m. at Wacker Polysilicon North America, LLC in Charleston, Tennessee, a polysilicon production site opened in 2016. The exact nature of the accident remains undisclosed other than that the process equipment was not in operation at the time.

One contractor was airlifted from the scene while the other three were transported by ambulance. The Bradley County Sheriff’s Office told WTVC that the contractors suffered chemical burns and inhalation injuries.

One contractor was released from the hospital Friday.

The Tennessee Occupational Safety and Health Administration fined Wacker $25,000 after a September 2017 explosion in which a mechanical failure released hydrogen gas that ignited. The plant was out of operation for more than six months.