A typical Wednesday morning shift turned into an airlifted hospital visit for three Arkansas chemical plant workers. As the workers were performing routine maintenance duties, a decomposition of benzoyl peroxide occurred, causing an explosion to seriously injure the three employees. The incident was reported as initially happening at 8:15 a.m.
The explosion occurred at the United Initiators chemical plant that specializes in making peroxide. United Initiators has made no statement on the condition of the men who were caught in the blast.
The men are reported to be currently staying at a hospital in Memphis. Their conditions are unknown.
A fire chief, one of the first responders on the scene, said there was no fire to attend to, but that the accident has been classified as a “hazmat incident.” The chemical plant and its' operations were shutdown after the incident. Investigations into the explosion were immediately commenced.
The plant is located in Helena-West Helena, which is three miles away from the Mississippi River. Reports show that the surrounding area is free of any chemical releases due to the incident.