Senators Markey and Warren and Congressman Moulton have sent a letter to Seqens North America seeking a response to many questions regarding the business’s past accidents and compliance issues.
In the early hours of Thursday, May 4, 2023, an explosion at the Seqens pharmaceutical manufacturing facility in Newburyport injured four workers, with a fifth worker unaccounted for in a facility that is too damaged for first responders to search. This explosion is only the latest avoidable disaster at this facility, following years of serious safety violations, multiple fines, and other explosions. We write seeking the explanation as to why this latest incident occurred and how, after years of fines and regulatory enforcement actions, Seqens could have allowed unsafe conditions to persist.
Around 12:45 a.m. on May 4, first responders with Newburyport Fire were notified of a “violent explosion” at the Seqens facility. After arriving, they “saw an industrial–sized vat from inside the building had moved about 30 feet because of the explosion,” and observed “major structural damage to the building.” Five workers were at the facility when the explosion happened, four of whom were injured and taken to the hospital. One worker remains missing.2 This is an unacceptable and tragic outcome—every worker is entitled to a safe workplace and the knowledge that they will return home unharmed after a shift at work.
Under Seqens’ authority and under the watch of the previous owner—known as PCI Synthesis, and earlier as Polycarbon Industries Inc.—the Newburyport facility has been the site of repeated violations and disasters. Over the past three years alone, two incidents resulted in “serious” Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) violations.
CLICK HERE to see the full letter from Senators Markey and Warren and Congressman Moulton