Federal investigators to release report on Ga. sugar refinery explosion that killed 14

Report due on deadly Ga. refinery explosion

SAVANNAH, Ga. — A federal agency is preparing to release its findings after an investigation of the deadly 2008 dust explosion at a Georgia sugar refinery.

The U.S. Chemical Safety Board is scheduled to issue its report Thursday morning on the cause of the March 2008 explosion near Savannah that killed 14 workers and injured 36 others.

The board doesn’t issue fines or sanctions, but uses its findings to make safety recommendations.

After the explosion last year, the Occupational Health and Safety Administration recommended $8.7 million in fines against the refinery’s owner, Texas-based Imperial Sugar, for workplace safety violations at its plants in Georgia and Louisiana.

OSHA concluded dangerous accumulations of sugar dust in the plant exploded like gunpowder.