On August 11, 2003, a 50-year-old production worker was seriously burned and died 5 days later from a fire that resulted when stored wood flour exploded at a wood-flour mill. The employer is a wood-flour mill that grinds paper-mill waste into a fine powder, and bags and stores it as a marketable product for a variety of industrial applications. The building where the incident occurred was built to older construction standards, and not for the purpose for which it was presently used.
A structural modification violated the National Electrical Code (Class II/Div. 1) by exposing the fuse-panel room to combustible dust. In addition, a rubber seal on the fuse box intended to prevent dust from penetrating the box was not in place. Most of the electrical equipment in the factory was old and not up to code, making replacement parts difficult to obtain. The general manager, located in another state, was aware of the antiquated equipment at the mill, but was unaware of applicable safety regulations. The last documented safety inspection at the mill was in 2000.