Nebraska Railcar Cleaning Services cited for more than 30 violations after tragedy
Moments before a blast ripped through a railcar on April 14, 2015, a check of the air quality inside indicated a serious risk of an explosion. Despite the warning, Nebraska Railcar Cleaning Services sent two employees, aged 41 and 45, into the railcar to work without monitoring the air continuously for explosive hazards as required, nor providing the employees with emergency retrieval equipment or properly fitted respirators.
The explosion that resulted blew the railcar's escape ladder off and killed the two men, trapping one inside and hurling the other off the top of the railcar. A third employee was injured.