14 DAY TRIAL // A woman has died in an explosion at a plastic plant in Rockmart, Georgia. The blast took place on Thursday morning and the victim was a worker at the factory.
The incident was reported at Meggitt Polymers & Composites in Rockmart. The small town is located in west Georgia, near the border with Alabama. Firefighters were dispatched to a building outside the main plant building.
A pressurized boiler blew up, severely injuring the woman. According to Polk County Fire Chief Todd Queen, firefighters were dispatched at the plant at 8:15 a.m.
They found the woman in an “isolated part of the plant” and she had suffered from a “steam-related” accident.
She was the only one in the building when the blast took place, and nobody else was wounded, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution informs.
“The incident involved a release of pressure from a 36-inch (91-cm) diameter autoclave (sterilization device) in a quality assurance laboratory. No other employee has sustained injury as a result of this incident.
“The area and the autoclave involved in the incident has been shut down and secured and Meggitt is now conducting a thorough investigation,” Meggitt spokesperson Fiona Greig says in a statement.
Paramedics transported the victim to a hospital where she was pronounced dead. Trey Litesey, Polk County’s coroner, identifies the victim as employee Elaine Davidson.
“According to the Polk County Coroner’s Officer, Elaine Davidson, 56, was inside a room where a pressurized boiler exploded.
Investigators said the door of the boiler blew off and hit Davidson. She was transported to Polk County Hospital where she died,” WSBTV reports.
EMTs have tried to revive Davidson before reaching Polk Medical Center, Queen details. However, she could not be saved. Injuries sustained in the blast have caused her death, the paramedics' report reveals.