OSHA fines Waukegan plant after explosion kills 4, including 3 from Kenosha Count

Investigators continue to search for one missing person in the rubble of the former factory.WAUKEGAN, Ill. — The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has fined an Illinois plant following an explosion that killed four workers.

The Waukegan-based company, AB Specialty Silicones, is facing $1.59 million in fines for 12 federal safety violations after four employees were killed in an explosion on May 3, 2019. Three of the four killed were from Kenosha County.

OSHA investigators determined that “AB Specialty Silicones failed to ensure that electrical equipment and installations in the production area of the plant complied with OSHA electrical standards, and were approved for hazardous locations.”

The Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of Labor for Occupational Safety and Health Loren Sweatt said, “By ignoring safety and health requirements, this employer created an unsafe work environment with deadly consequences.”