The United States Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) cited a Texas company operating in Alabama for improper storage of compressed gas, after an explosion at the Harpersville Reinforcement Project in Harpersville, Alabama fatality injured an employee.

Investigators determined that flammable welding gases were stored in an unventilated storage container, which exploded when the employee opened the container door. Legend Directional Services LLC was cited for storing compressed welding gas cylinders and liquefied petroleum tanks in an unventilated container, failing to store acetylene and oxygen cylinders separately and for failing to train employees on the hazards associated with flammable chemicals. They are facing $28,455 in penalties, the maximum allowable penalty for the fatality-related citation.

“Employers who use hazardous chemicals in their workplaces are required to train employees on chemical safety data sheets and labels and incorporate safety controls to protect employees from those hazards,” said OSHA Birmingham Area Office Director Ramona Morris. “This tragedy could have been avoided if the employer had followed required procedures for storing dangerous gases.”

Read the press release from OSHA here.