CSB Says Company Has Not Acted on Recommendations After Fatal 2021 Ohio Plant Explosion
Board letters have gone unanswered, including one sent after Yenkin-Majestic pleaded guilty to a federal criminal charge tied to the incident.
- By Danielle Naidu
- Oct 20, 2026
Yenkin-Majestic/OPC Polymers has so far failed to put in place, or even substantively respond to, any of the five safety recommendations issued after a deadly explosion at its Columbus, Ohio, resin plant, the U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board (CSB) said Oct. 19.
The April 2021 explosion and fire killed one employee. Eight others were taken to hospitals with injuries including third-degree burns and limb fractures, and one needed a leg amputation.
The CSB traced the incident to a reactor manway cover installed on an operating kettle that was not properly designed, constructed or tested. The board also cited the company's failure to follow basic quality assurance practices for pressure vessel integrity. Flammable naphtha vapors and resin liquid escaped through the manway seal, forming a vapor cloud that ignited.
Investigators also found inadequate emergency planning and training, no audible or visual evacuation alarms, and no requirement for flame-resistant uniforms.
The board issued its recommendations in November 2023 as part of its final report on the incident. It sent the company letters Dec. 4, 2023, Feb. 5 and Sept. 10. The company has not responded to any of them, according to the CSB.
The latest letter followed Yenkin-Majestic's Sept. 1 guilty plea to a federal criminal charge related to the incident.
Stephen Klejst, the CSB's executive director of investigations and recommendations, said the company's silence seems to show a serious disregard for its workers' safety, which he called especially troubling given the guilty plea. CSB Chairperson Steve Owens said most companies willingly implement the board's recommendations. The CSB does not issue citations or fines.
About the Author
Danielle Naidu is assistant editor for Occupational Health & Safety and Environmental Protection Online.