AmeriGas Industrial Accidents

What is AmeriGas?

AmeriGas is the nation's leading propane company. According to a statement from the company's website, the company serves "over 2 million residential, commercial, industrial, agricultural, and motor fuel propane customers from over 1,200 locations in all 50 states." The company markets propane, offers cylinder refill services, wholesale propane, supplies to the agricultural and farm bureau, and also provides tank monitoring services.

Many AmeriGas customers are individuals that use the company's services for residential heaters, space heaters, water heaters, pool and spa heaters, and more. AmeriGas also serves the commercial industry by using their popular delivery service (i.e. tanker trucks and other commercial vehicles) to provide thousands of businesses across the country with propane for heating and energy purposes. AmeriGas owns and operates a total of 2,500 bobtail trucks, more than 2,000 delivery trucks, and nearly 300 rack trucks. These delivery vehicles transport AmeriGas product across the nation.

Some trucks come equipped with bulk propane to fill on-site while other trucks are loaded with pre-filled propane tanks to be distributed. This company is an active provider for the restaurant and hospitality industry. These industries use propane in order to cook, do laundry, heat rooms, and much more. AmeriGas propane frequently services thousands of restaurants and hotels across the nation. One of the other popular services that AmeriGas provides is its cylinder refill. At these warehouse dispensaries, consumers can come to have their empty propane tanks refilled.

AmeriGas Incident History

The company's motto is "Reliable, Safe, Responsive" but unfortunately, AmeriGas has had a number of incidents in their history. In June 2008, a case was settled in favor of two property surveyors that were run over by an AmeriGas delivery truck. In fact, there are many incidents in the company's history that involve AmeriGas truck distribution. One AmeriGas incident actually sparked a safety recommendation from the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB).

Propane is a hazardous material that must be transported with extreme care and caution. Accidents can be deadly. In August 2011, an AmeriGas fire broke out at the company's facility located near the California-Nevada border. An employee was injured and the fire caused significant property damage as well.

Conroe, Texas Explosion

In the company's most recent accident, an explosion at a propane refill and dispensing site in Conroe, Texas badly burned two workers and seriously injured numerous others that were at the site at the time of the explosion. According to a statement from an AmeriGas employee that witnessed the incident, workers were in the middle of a routine filling and stacking operation. While stacking and filling the propane tanks, someone at the facility stepped on a gas line.

This allegedly caused a leak that was ignited by a spark. Employees at the site turned off the gas line immediately following the explosion, but many were still injured by the blast. The incident was initially investigated by the Montgomery County Fire Marshal investigators as well as investigation personnel from the Texas Railroad Commission (TRC). The TRC was involved due to the fact that it is the entity responsible for the regulation of the propane industry.

Industrial workers have an incredibly dangerous duty to perform each day they enter the workplace. Unfortunately, these dangerous work environments are often made more dangerous by negligent and careless actions. If you were injured in an accident involving AmeriGas, an affiliate of AmeriGas or another similar industrial accident, please contact Arnold & Itkin to learn of the possibility of representation and financial compensation for damages.