Industrial Safety at a Crossroads: Insights from 2025

Industrial safety reached a breaking point in 2025. The year will be remembered as a pivotal moment in the United States, with lessons written in blood. Catastrophic incidents in explosives manufacturing, biofuels processing, coke production, petrochemicals, and chemical storage claimed lives and exposed systemic weaknesses.

These were not isolated events. More than 55 years after the Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSHA) of 1970, recurring gaps persisted. Process hazard analyses lacked rigor. Facility siting decisions fell short. Safeguards failed. Emergency preparedness proved inadequate.

This review examines the most significant U.S. industrial accidents of 2025. It analyzes root causes and highlights lessons that must shape industrial safety strategies in 2026. While technical details differ, common themes emerge. Hazard identification was incomplete. Hazardous processes were too close to occupied spaces. Critical utilities were unreliable. Community engagement during emergencies was inconsistent.

The goal is not only to document failures. It is to convert hard lessons into practical actions that strengthen industrial safety systems and prevent repeat disasters.

Accurate Energetic Systems Explosion – Bucksnort, Tennessee

On October 10, 2025, an explosion destroyed the Accurate Energetic Systems (AES) explosives facility in Bucksnort, Tennessee. Sixteen workers were killed. Many others were injured. It was the deadliest industrial incident of the year.

Investigators determined the blast originated in a pourcast building where explosive materials were heated and cast into boosters. Officials described an initial kettle explosion followed by sympathetic detonation of nearby inventories. Between 24,000 and 28,000 pounds of explosives detonated. Roughly 1,000 pounds were later recovered.

The building housed six kettles used to produce TNT and RDX boosters. These are inherently high-hazard operations. Small deviations in temperature control, contamination, friction, or static discharge can trigger ignition. Manual pouring of hot energetic mixtures adds human-factor risks such as fatigue and variability.

Prior regulatory history revealed warning signs. In 2019, Tennessee Occupational Safety and Health Administration (TOSHA) cited AES for serious violations involving RDX contamination and inadequate PPE. Workers experienced seizure events linked to exposure. Housekeeping and hygiene controls were deficient. These gaps reflected deeper organizational weaknesses relevant to industrial safety culture.

Several systemic issues emerged:

• Co-location of processing equipment with large explosive inventories increased consequence severity.

• Process hazard analyses and management of change for kettle operations required greater rigor.

• Ignition prevention systems and interlocks needed stronger verification.

• Housekeeping and contamination control were insufficient.

• Facility siting and occupied building protection warranted closer scrutiny.

The AES disaster underscores a core industrial safety principle. Layered defenses must prevent initiating events, interrupt escalation, and reduce consequences. When even one layer weakens, high-hazard operations become catastrophic.

Horizon Biofuels Explosion – Fremont, Nebraska

On July 29, 2025, a powerful explosion and fire destroyed the Horizon Biofuels facility in Fremont, Nebraska. Three people died, including two children who were in the break room. The incident began in the production tower and was followed by prolonged fires and smoldering.

The U.S. Chemical Safety Board (CBS) identified a large release of combustible wood dust as the likely source. The dust ignited, causing a primary explosion that damaged the tower, offices, and warehouse. Secondary explosions and fires followed.

Wood pellet production converts scrap conifer wood into fine wood meal. Grinding, conveying, drying, and pelletizing generate combustible dust. Dust collection systems are critical. However, if dust accumulates or collection capacity is inadequate, hazardous concentrations can form.

The mechanics of dust explosions are well understood. Dust accumulates on surfaces. It becomes suspended in air. An ignition source triggers deflagration. Pressure waves then disperse additional dust, causing secondary explosions that magnify damage.

The Horizon tragedy highlighted:

• Insufficient dust hazard analysis.

• Inadequate housekeeping to prevent accumulation.

• Possible weaknesses in duct design and explosion isolation.

• Structural vulnerabilities that hindered rescue.

A prior 2014 fire and historical OSHA citations signaled long-standing risk management challenges. Yet controls failed to prevent escalation.

For industrial safety leaders, the lesson is clear. Combustible dust hazards are known and preventable. Robust engineering controls, disciplined housekeeping, and explosion protection systems must be treated as nonnegotiable safeguards.

U.S. Steel Clairton Coke Works Explosion – Pennsylvania

On August 11, 2025, an explosion occurred at U.S. Steel’s Clairton Coke Works in the Battery 13/14 transfer area. Two workers died and at least ten others were hospitalized.

Investigators determined that coke oven gas (COG), composed primarily of hydrogen, methane, nitrogen, and carbon monoxide, was released from process piping and ignited. The blast destroyed reversing rooms and a break room. Occupied buildings were located near hazardous process equipment.

County officials issued a temporary shelter-in-place advisory. Air monitoring later confirmed pollutant levels below limits.

The CSB issued interim safety recommendations focused on facility siting. It called for comprehensive evaluation of all occupied buildings using the American Petroleum Institute’s (API) RP 752, 753, and 756, along with CCPS guidance. Investigators expressed concern that structures could not protect occupants from explosion hazards.

Industry standards had recently strengthened siting requirements. Updated API practices introduced mandatory provisions addressing fire, explosion, and toxic hazards. Best practice calls for revalidation every five years or after significant change.

This incident reinforces a critical industrial safety message. Facility siting is not optional. Occupied buildings must be evaluated and, when necessary, relocated or hardened. Rebuilding damaged structures without a comprehensive siting review exposes workers to repeat risk.

Austin Powder Nitrogen Oxides Release – Ohio

On June 11, 2025, Austin Powder’s Red Diamond plant in McArthur, Ohio, experienced a significant nitrogen oxides release. A loss of cooling in a 5,000-gallon nitric acid tank allowed temperatures to rise from below 50°F to over 150°F. Emergency relief valves vented approximately 3,945 pounds of NOₓ over three hours.

A dense yellow plume prompted evacuations and a temporary flight restriction. Air monitoring showed concentrations below health hazard thresholds. No injuries were reported.

Investigators found that cooling system failure went undetected for days. Instrumentation and alarm response protocols were inadequate. A similar NOₓ release had occurred at a related facility in 2024.

Nitrogen dioxide can irritate the respiratory system and cause pulmonary damage at high concentrations. Fortunately, rapid emergency response prevented acute health impacts.

This near miss highlights vulnerabilities in utility reliability. Critical systems require redundancy, real-time monitoring, and alarm logic that triggers prompt intervention. Without these safeguards, minor upsets can escalate into major releases.

For industrial safety programs, the takeaway is straightforward. Utilities such as cooling water are not secondary systems. They are essential layers of protection in high-hazard chemical operations.

Shell Polymers Monaca Release – Pennsylvania

On June 4, 2025, the Shell Polymers Monaca petrochemical complex experienced an accidental release of 1,3-butadiene and benzene from its ethane cracking unit. A fire occurred in Furnace #5. Fifteen employees were evacuated. One worker sustained a minor injury.

According to filings, a valve was inadvertently opened during transition into an isolation state. Process gas entered the furnace, causing visible emissions. Operators temporarily shut down ammonia injection pumps to avoid secondary hazards, which increased NOx emissions before stabilization.

Subsequent calculations indicated emissions below federal reportable quantities. However, the facility had received a Notice of Violation earlier in 2025 for exceeding rolling NOx emission limits. Community groups had also tracked repeated malfunction reports.

From an industrial safety standpoint, this event illustrates the interplay of instrumentation, procedural discipline, and emissions control. Isolation transitions require robust management of change. Interlocks must prevent valve misalignment. Alarm systems must prioritize critical signals during abnormal situations.

Butadiene and benzene are both flammable and toxic. Benzene’s carcinogenicity is well documented. Therefore, transparent communication and accurate emissions quantification are essential following any release.

Industrial Safety Lessons for 2026

The events of 2025 reveal a sobering truth. Catastrophic failures persist when fundamental risk management principles are neglected.

Across sectors, recurring weaknesses appear:

• Inadequate process hazard analyses.

• Poor facility siting decisions.

• Unverified safeguards.

• Weak management of change.

• Insufficient emergency preparedness.

A deeper root cause often lies in culture. When production continuity outweighs process safety rigor, warning signs go unaddressed. When hazard analyses become static documents, evolving risks remain unmanaged.

The path forward requires decisive action. Organizations must:

• Revalidate PHAs with scenario-based rigor.

• Conduct comprehensive facility siting evaluations.

• Invest in utility redundancy and monitoring.

• Strengthen management of change processes.

• Integrate human factors into design and procedures.

• Practice emergency response plans with community involvement.

Boards and executives must link leadership performance to measurable safety outcomes. Reporting near misses should be encouraged, not discouraged.

The tragedies of 2025 were predictable. They were not random anomalies. By embedding industrial safety into core operational strategy, companies can transform systemic weaknesses into resilience.

The next preventable disaster will not wait. The responsibility to act now rests with industry leaders committed to protecting workers, communities, and the future of industrial safety.

About the Author

James A. Junkin, MS, CSP, MSP, SMS, ASP, CSHO is the chief executive officer of Mariner-Gulf Consulting & Services, LLC and the chair of the Veriforce Strategic Advisory Board and the past chair of Professional Safety journal’s editorial review board. James is a member of the Advisory Board for the National Association of Safety Professionals (NASP). He is Columbia Southern University’s 2022 Safety Professional of the Year (Runner Up), a 2023 recipient of the National Association of Environmental Management’s (NAEM) 30 over 30 Award for excellence in the practice of occupational safety and health and sustainability, and the American Society of Safety Professionals (ASSP) 2024 Safety Professional of the Year for Training and Communications, and the recipient of the ASSP 2023-2024 Charles V. Culberson award. He is a much sought after master trainer, keynote speaker, podcaster of The Risk Matrix, and author of numerous articles concerning occupational safety and health.

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