Industrial & Nuclear Accidents
Manhattan Project fallout: Nuclear waste health catastrophe in St. Louis, Missouri
By Gary Joad, 27 November 2015
Nuclear waste dumps from the Manhattan Project have resulted in clustering of unusually high cancer rates in younger people and children.
Death at Decatur tubing plant highlights unsafe working conditions in Alabama
By Shelley Connor, 6 November 2015
The death of Tim Cooper at Independence Tube is only the latest in a string of industrial accidents caused by unsafe working conditions in Alabama.
Scores killed in Pakistani textile factory collapse in Lahore
By our correspondent, 6 November 2015
At least 21 workers were killed and dozens injured, and fears are increasing that the death toll will go up once the clearing of debris is completed.
Worker killed in another Chinese factory explosion
By Ben McGrath, 25 August 2015
This latest incident in Shandong province drives home the disregard for safety in China’s factories in the pursuit of profit.
China: Details emerge of safety violations and corruption in Tianjin
By James Cogan, 21 August 2015
The warehouse that exploded was only able to operate because of the owners’ political connections.
Chinese official, company managers under investigation after Tianjin disaster
By James Cogan, 19 August 2015
China’s national director of the State Administration of Work Safety, Yang Dongliang, has been removed from his position.
Chinese regime seeks to censor outrage over Tianjin disaster
By James Cogan, 18 August 2015
A major reason for the popular anger is the reality that a catastrophe of similar or greater dimensions could occur any day, in any number of Chinese cities and towns.
The Tianjin explosions and the discrediting of capitalism
By James Cogan, 15 August 2015
The promises that the Chinese masses would ultimately benefit from rampant capitalist development are lying in tatters.
Washington, DC: Government officials prepare whitewash of fatal Metro accident
By Joe Williams, 5 August 2015
Public officials are trying to deny that poor maintenance and underfunding may have caused an accident that resulted in one death and over 100 injuries.
Fourth body recovered from UK factory explosion
By Margot Miller, 31 July 2015
Just two weeks before the explosion decimated the factory, local council enforcement officers ordered a clean-up of the facility.
Berkeley, California balcony collapse kills six
By David Brown, 17 June 2015
Several observers have pointed to signs of dry rot in the wooden support beams exposed by the collapse, possibly due to inadequate waterproofing.
Pipeline rupture causes oil spill in California
By Gabriel Black, 22 May 2015
State officials say that at least 21,000 gallons of oil has reached the sea, causing an oil slick that spans nine miles.
The Amtrak disaster and America’s crumbling infrastructure
By Andre Damon, 16 May 2015
Tuesday’s derailment of an Amtrak train on America’s busiest rail route has exposed before the whole world the dilapidated state of infrastructure in the United States.
Fire erupts at nuclear power plant outside of New York City
By Daniel de Vries, 12 May 2015
The third major fire in eight years broke out at the nuclear facility, spilling thousands of gallons of oil into the Hudson River.
Massive fire at Chinese chemical factory
By Ben McGrath, 11 April 2015
Industrial accidents in China are a regular occurrence amid the corporate drive to boost profits at the expense of safety and health standards.
At least four killed in PEMEX explosion in Gulf of Mexico
By Jake Dean, 2 April 2015
The oil rig disaster has unfolded in the midst of Mexico’s accelerating privatization of its state-owned oil firm, PEMEX.
Death of Louisiana refinery worker exposes USW treachery in oil strike
By Tom Hall, 31 March 2015
The death at Valero’s St. Charles refinery occurred as the United Steelworkers began winding down the strike at Motiva’s Norco refinery, which lies directly across the street.
US federal study predicts ten oil derailments per year
By Jeff Lusanne, 24 February 2015
A Department of Transportation report predicts derailments could occur near populated areas and cause fatalities.
Oil trains derail and burst into flames in Canada, US
By Jeff Lusanne, 18 February 2015
Major railroads are pursuing attacks on railroad workers at the expense of working conditions and safety.
Japan: Two workers killed at TEPCO nuclear plants in Fukushima
By Ben McGrath, 26 January 2015
The deaths are another reminder of the ongoing dangers at the tsunami-affected Fukushima Daiichi complex, and the official disregard for workers’ health and safety.
Washington, DC subway disaster kills one, injures 84
By Gabriel Black, 14 January 2015
An electrical malfunction left passengers trapped in a train filled with heavy smoke.
Oil rig fire in Oklahoma kills two workers, critically burns two others
By Evan Blake, 20 December 2014
All five casualties of the incident were employees of drilling contractor Dan D. Drilling, which promotes itself as a “cost conscious” service provider.
Injured Boeing contract worker dies in Washington state
By Angelo Bosworth and Hector Cordon, 11 December 2014
Ken Otto died Sunday due to injuries suffered while working on a Boeing jet in November
Death of 15-year-old exposes growing use of child labour by Canadian employers
By Ashley Tseng, 26 November 2014
The fatality at an Alberta gravel-crushing site has exposed the myth that child labour is a problem only in the developing world.
Wyoming coal miner killed
By Naomi Spencer, 22 October 2014
The death at Peabody Energy’s North Antelope Rochelle Mine was the 13th US coal mining fatality this year
Deadly gas explosion in Taiwanese city kills dozens
By Ben McGrath, 6 August 2014
Powerful blasts left deep craters throughout the city of Kaohsiung, destroying roads and homes and leaving thousands without electricity, water, or gas.
Steelworkers union covers for death of contract worker at New York aluminum plant
By Sam Davidson and Steve Filips, 26 July 2014
Steven Cooper, a contract worker in the Novelis Aluminum plant in Upstate New York, was killed June 30 while working at the plant’s remelt and recycling area.
Subway disaster in Moscow kills 22
By David Levine, 16 July 2014
The largest-ever accident on the Moscow subway system occurred Tuesday when a train derailed, killing 22 and leaving 130 hospitalized.
Cargo train derails in Mexico, stranding 1,300 migrants
By Kevin Martinez, 12 July 2014
Wednesday's accident was at least the third derailment of trains carrying migrants across Mexico since last month.
Government and corporate officials continue to deflect blame for Lac-Mégantic train disaster
By Carl Bronski, 11 July 2014
One year after 47 people died in the Lac-Mégantic train disaster, Canada’s Conservative government continues to deny any culpability.
Murder trial of Sewol captain begins in South Korea
By Ben McGrath, 17 June 2014
The captain of the capsized South Korean ferry is being made a scapegoat to deflect attention from the government’s responsibility for the lack of safety.
South Korean opposition exploits ferry disaster
By Ben McGrath, 26 May 2014
The opposition NPAD is just as responsible as the Park administration for the undermining of safety standards that led to the sinking.
Quebec charges employees, not owners, of railroad in Lac-Mégantic tragedy
By Jeff Lusanne, 20 May 2014
Charges of criminal negligence have been filed against three employees of the now-bankrupt Montreal, Maine & Atlantic Railroad, but not its CEO and principal shareholder.
The Turkish catastrophe and the global mining slaughterhouse
By Jerry White, 16 May 2014
The horrific mine explosion in Turkey is not an unexplainable “accident” but the inevitable result of privatization, government neglect and the capitalist profit system.
West Virginia mine had appalling safety record
By Clement Daly, 16 May 2014
The West Virginia mine where two miners died earlier this week had an appalling safety record with hundreds of violations and injuries.
Explosion at Turkish coal mine kills at least 238
By Thomas Gaist, 14 May 2014
With more than 100 miners still trapped underground, Turkey's energy minister said hopes for rescue were "dimming."
Two West Virginia coal miners killed in roof collapse
By Naomi Spencer, 14 May 2014
Two miners were killed at a mine owned by Patriot Coal Monday night after the collapse of a roof and wall.
Japan: Fukushima worker sues TEPCO over radiation exposure
By Will Morrow, 12 May 2014
The lawsuit comes amid growing anger among workers at the crippled Fukushima nuclear plant, dangerous conditions and low pay.
At least 16 killed in Colombian mine disaster
By Bill Van Auken, 6 May 2014
For the Santos government, the issue is not one of workers’ safety, but rather of its deals with transnational mining companies.
South Korean subway collision leaves 238 injured
By Ben McGrath, 5 May 2014
Less than three weeks after the sinking of the Sewol ferry, two subway trains collided in northern Seoul following a mechanical failure.
South Korean prime minister resigns over ferry disaster
By Ben McGrath, 28 April 2014
Chung’s resignation is designed to deflect popular anger away from President Park Geun-hye’s administration.
63,000 US bridges deemed structurally deficient
By Matthew MacEgan, 28 April 2014
A new report reveals that more than 63,000 bridges are in need of repair and that these bridges are crossed by more than 250 million vehicles each day.
West, Texas explosion and deaths called “preventable”
By Matthew MacEgan, 26 April 2014
The US Chemical and Safety Board released a report stating that the blast was completely preventable and resulted from a combination of faulty planning and negligence.
South Korean government accused of inaction after ferry disaster
By Ben McGrath, 23 April 2014
In an attempt to divert attention from the government, President Park condemned the actions of the crew as “akin to murder.”
Anger of victims’ families mounts over South Korean ferry disaster
By Ben McGrath, 21 April 2014
While the official death toll continues to climb, families of the victims are increasingly angry at the government and the ferry company.
Search crew finds location but not source of leak at New Mexico nuclear waste storage site
By D. Lencho, 21 April 2014
Over two months after airborne radiation at New Mexico’s Waste Isolation Pilot Plant was detected and 21 workers were exposed, the location of the contamination was found on April 16.
268 still missing after South Korean ferry disaster
By Tom Eley, 19 April 2014
Hope has dimmed for finding survivors among the 268 passengers missing from Wednesday’s sinking of the South Korean ferry The Sewol.
One year since the West, Texas chemical blast
By Gabriel Black, 19 April 2014
The town of West, despite the best efforts of its residents, is millions of dollars short of what it needs to rebuild.
Chicago Transit Authority wreck raises questions of safety equipment and operator fatigue
By Jeff Lusanne, 31 March 2014
A CTA derailment injured 32 passengers and could have been far worse.
As BP receives new contracts for Gulf Coast
Oil spill threatens Houston-area wildlife
By Tom Hall, 26 March 2014
Twenty-five years after the Exxon Valdez oil spill, oil industry and government practices continue to threaten the environment.
New Jersey motel fire kills Hurricane Sandy evacuees
By Philip Guelpa, 24 March 2014
A fire at a New Jersey motel Friday killed and injured Hurricane Sandy evacuees who had not been able to return to their homes due to the inadequate and corrupt government recovery program.
Investigations into Lac-Mégantic rail disaster show government culpability
By Carl Bronski, 14 March 2014
A series of investigations into last July’s train disaster have demonstrated that governments and regulatory bodies consistently privileged corporate profitability over basic safety.
Japanese government signals restart of nuclear power plants
By Will Morrow, 10 March 2014
Three years after the Fukushima disaster, the Abe government is riding roughshod over overwhelming popular opposition to the nuclear industry.
Thirteen workers exposed to radiation at New Mexico nuclear waste site
By Jake Dean, 5 March 2014
The latest incident is another reminder of the hazards involved with nuclear waste.
Company responsible for West Virginia chemical spill plans to liquidate
By Clement Daly, 3 March 2014
Freedom Industries—the company responsible for the January 9 chemical spill that contaminated the water for 300,000 West Virginians—recently announced it plans to liquidate.
Japan: New radioactive water leak at Fukushima
By Will Morrow, 24 February 2014
No faith can be placed in any of TEPCO’s claims about the extent of radioactive material that has reached the environment.
FEMA cuts aid to West Virginians affected by chemical spill
By Nick Barrickman, 19 February 2014
The Obama administration has done everything in its power to shelter negligent energy corporations as they move to defend their profits in the wake of disasters caused by their own policies.
More than 100,000 gallons released in West Virginia coal slurry spill
By Clement Daly, 14 February 2014
More than 100,000 gallons of coal slurry—a toxic liquid mixture of cleaning chemicals and coal refuse—contaminated about six miles of a stream in Kanawha County.
Coal ash spill in North Carolina threatens population
By Nick Barrickman, 8 February 2014
A major leak has been discovered at an inactive coal ash disposal site near the Dan River.
West Virginia water crisis continues as second chemical is identified
By Clement Daly, 23 January 2014
Freedom Industries—the company responsible for the January 9 chemical spill just outside Charleston, West Virginia—has told state regulators that the leak also contained polyglycol ethers, or PPH.
Omaha factory where fatal accident occurred had record of safety violations
By Sean West, 22 January 2014
The International Nutrition plant, where two workers were killed in an explosion and partial building collapse Monday, has been repeatedly cited for safety infractions.
Two workers confirmed dead in Omaha factory explosion
By Rafael Azul, 21 January 2014
Two workers were killed and more are missing and presumed dead in an animal feed plant explosion in Omaha, Nebraska.
Problems remain as water is restored in West Virginia
By Clement Daly, 21 January 2014
Residents and parents of children in schools scheduled to reopen are worried about the safety of drinking water, two weeks after a chemical spill that entered the water supply.
Company responsible for West Virginia chemical spill declares bankruptcy
By Clement Daly, 20 January 2014
On Friday, Freedom Industries—the company responsible for the chemical leak which poisoned the water of 300,000 West Virginians—filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection.
An exchange with the Bangladeshi ambassador to the US
By K. Ratnayake, 17 January 2014
The WSWS replies to criticisms by Bangladesh’s ambassador of an article detailing the plight of the victims of the Rana Plaza building collapse.
The West Virginia chemical disaster
By Andre Damon, 15 January 2014
The release of a toxic coal-treatment chemical into the drinking water in West Virginia is only the latest disaster resulting from the dismantling of corporate regulation.
Lack of regulation behind West Virginia water disaster
By Nick Barrickman, 14 January 2014
The West Virginia chemical storage facility had not been inspected for decades.
North Dakota train explosion raises questions about oil transport safety
By Jeff Lusanne, 4 January 2014
The second large explosion of crude oil being shipped by rail from the North Dakota oilfields shows that significant risks continue to go unaddressed by the industry or regulators.
Victims of Bangladesh building collapse neglected
By Wimal Perera, 3 January 2014
Many of the families have spent their limited compensation, leaving them in a desperate situation.
Germany: Controlled detonation results in death of three miners
By Marianne Arens, 8 October 2013
Once again, potash miners have lost their lives in the German state of Thuringia.
Fukushima leaks’ radioactivity 18 times higher than previously reported
By John Marion, 4 September 2013
Water leaking from Japan’s stricken Fukushima nuclear reactor is so radioactive that exposure to it for four hours would be deadly.
BP asks appeals court to throw out oil spill settlement
By Tom Hall, 3 September 2013
BP has requested that the courts throw out the entirety of the spill settlement if a separate appeal against “fraudulent claims” is unsuccessful.
TEPCO reports new leaks at Fukushima reactor
By John Marion, 28 August 2013
This latest threat to public health comes after revelations that radioactive water from underground storage tanks and groundwater has leaked into the ocean.
BP reneges on claims as environmental devastation persists in Gulf of Mexico
By Tom Hall, 14 August 2013
With the company’s profits declining, British Petroleum is attempting to avoid compensating people affected by the 2010 Gulf oil spill.
Contaminated water leaks into sea from Japan’s crippled nuclear plant
By Peter Symonds, 7 August 2013
Japan’s nuclear regulatory authority has offered no solution to what it has declared as an emergency.
Spanish train crash driver accused of reckless homicide
By Alejandro López, 29 July 2013
The accepted legal position that someone is innocent until proven guilty has been all but brushed aside.
At least 80 killed in Spanish train crash
By Paul Mitchell, 26 July 2013
At least 80 people were killed and 140 injured Wednesday in Spain’s worst train crash in 40 years. The tragedy follows major cuts to the rail service, ahead of further major deregulation.
Gas rig fire off Louisiana coast
By Tom Eley, 26 July 2013
On Tuesday a gas rig located 55 miles off Louisiana’s coast in the Gulf of Mexico suffered a blowout and fire that continued to burn until Thursday afternoon
Canada: Safety Board issues tepid call for more oversight in wake of rail disaster
By Carl Bronski, 24 July 2013
Canada’s Transportation Safety Board is urging the federal government to make “urgent” regulatory changes to improve railway safety in the wake of the Lac-Mégantic train disaster.
Canada’s newspapers whitewash government culpability in Lac-Mégantic tragedy
By Carl Bronski, 17 July 2013
The media is seeking to direct attention away from the role that corporate cost-cutting and government deregulation played in the explosion that left 50 people dead.
Rail boss scapegoats Lac-Mégantic, Quebec train driver
By Jeff Lusanne, 13 July 2013
Visiting Lac-Mégantic five days after Canada’s worst train disaster in decades, railway boss Ed Burkhardt sought to scapegoat the engineer of the runaway train.
The background to the Lac-Mégantic disaster: Deregulation, profit and the Canadian rail industry
By Carl Bronski, 11 July 2013
Despite a dramatic increase in the shipment of hazardous materials by rail, Transport Canada has slashed inspections.
Investigation of San Francisco plane crash underway
By Gabriel Black and James Brewer, 11 July 2013
The National Transportation Safety Board has begun releasing details of its investigation into the crash landing of a South Korean airliner at San Francisco International Airport.
Rail CEO blames firefighters for Quebec oil train disaster
By Jeff Lusanne, 10 July 2013
It is now all but certain that last Saturday’s derailment, explosion, and fire in Lac-Mégantic, Quebec killed four dozen or more people, making it the deadliest train disaster in Canada in more than a century.
Two dead, 181 injured in San Francisco plane crash
By Gabriel Black, 8 July 2013
On Saturday, Asiana Airlines flight 214 crash landed at San Francisco International Airport.
Death toll rises in Quebec train derailment and explosion
By Jeff Lusanne, 8 July 2013
Five are confirmed dead and dozens remain unaccounted for after a runaway train carrying crude oil derailed in Lac-Mégantic, Quebec causing a series of massive explosions.
FEMA refuses disaster relief to West, Texas
By Matthew MacEgan, 14 June 2013
The federal government has refused to provide additional money to help rebuild the small Texas town of West, where a fertilizer plant explosion killed 15 people in April.
Deadly chemical plant explosion in Louisiana
By Matthew MacEgan, 14 June 2013
On Thursday an explosion and fire at a chemical plant in Geismar, Louisiana, killed at least one person and injured at least 73 others.
Bangladeshi police attack protesting garment workers
By Sarath Kumara, 12 June 2013
Police shot guns, fired tear gas and used batons to break up a protest by survivors of the April 24 Rana Plaza building collapse.
Building collapse in Philadelphia exposes corruption, lack of government oversight
By Tom Hall, 10 June 2013
While the media is attempting to scapegoat a lone construction worker, it is becoming increasingly clear that the disaster has roots in corporate corruption and the profit motive.
Philadelphia building collapse kills six
By Matthew MacEgan, 7 June 2013
On Wednesday, a vacant four-storey building being demolished in mid-town Philadelphia collapsed, killing 6 people and trapping 14 others under the wreckage.
130 out of work after seafood plant fire in Oregon
By Christine Schofelt, 7 June 2013
In addition to the workers directly employed in the plant itself, fishermen, crabbers and shrimpers in the area relied on Oregon Pacific Seafood for their livelihoods.
Federal, state officials stonewall investigation of West, Texas plant explosion
By Matthew MacEgan, 27 May 2013
A month after an explosion at a fertilizer plant in the city of West, Texas, killed 15 people, the ATF and the State Fire Marshall’s Office have virtually shut out investigators from the explosion site, hampering any kind of investigation.
Connecticut commuter rail collision injures 72
By Kate Randall, 20 May 2013
Some 700 people were on board the Metro-North trains in suburban New York when one derailed, causing the trains to collide.
Death toll in Bangladesh factory collapse reaches 950
By Sarath Kumara and Wimal Perera, 10 May 2013
The authorities’ main concern is to downplay the rapidly rising casualty figures in the textile factory collapse, to cover up the scale of the disaster.
Global corporations and the Bangladesh building collapse
By Peter Symonds, 8 May 2013
The world’s retailing giants are engaged in a cynical PR exercise to distance themselves from the tragedy that has taken the lives of more than 700 people.
Bangladeshi government ends rescue operations in collapsed building
By Sarath Kumara, 1 May 2013
The government has ignored pleas from the relatives of victims who are still hoping that survivors will be found.
The Bangladesh factory collapse and the drive for profit
By K. Ratnayake, 27 April 2013
The tragedy is one of the world’s worst industrial disasters, but it will not be the last, as global corporations sacrifice workers’ safety to the requirements of profit.
Mass protests erupt in Bangladesh over factory collapse
By Patrick O’Connor, 26 April 2013
Hundreds of thousands of garment workers marched out of their factories yesterday, compelling plant owners to declare a day’s “holiday”.
Memorial for West, Texas victims obscures causes of fertilizer plant exlosion
By Naomi Spencer, 26 April 2013
The event served to conceal the criminal negligence behind the tragedy and put the bulk of the recovery costs onto the shoulders of survivors.
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