On October 29, 2011, six workers were killed after a massive grain dust explosion occurred inside an elevator at the Bartlett Grain Co. facility in Atchinson, Kansas. Despite being served five willful violations and eight serious violations that disobeyed workplace safety rules set in place by OSHA, the family of one victim, 20-year-old Chad Roberts, continues to pursue criminal charges against Bartlett, citing that the deaths and accident could have been prevented if proper safety measures were acknowledged. Below is their story alongside that of the Bartlett Grain Co. blast, serving as a real life reminder on how serious combustible dust safety and the longstanding effects of these unnecessary accidents can be to everyone involved.
(courtesy of HarvestPublicMedia.org)
