Corporations take on a large amount of liability as they begin to expand beyond a small operation. Work place accidents and mismanagement can sometimes cause problems that extend beyond the confines of the business and have adverse effects on the environment and the people who live nearby. From a deadly syrupy mess to an accidental poisoning these work place disasters had consequences that reached beyond the work place and affected entire communities.

Boston Massachusetts, January 15, 1919 a truck carrying two and a half million gallons of crude molasses was traveling along a street in the North End of the city. Workers in this industrial area of town were going about their daily business when something caused the trucks cast iron tank to explode. The result was a 15 foot high wave of molasses crashing down through the street at what was reported to be a speed of around 35 miles per hour. When the wave settled many blocks were flooded and 21 people along with several horses were trapped under the sticky mess and died. More than 150 others were injured. There is no definite evidence of what caused the truck to explode but an extreme temperature jump of 39 degrees over one day is suspected to have caused pressure to build up in the tank. The mess took weeks to clean up, and the company reports around 87,000 man hours were spent doing the job.

The 1930’s in America was a very tough time so when oil was found in Rusk County, Texas the tiny town was soon one of the wealthiest areas in the country. As a symbol of wealth and to share the town’s fortune with the entire community a large school building was built with all the latest technologies including 72 natural gas heaters. These heaters soon became outdated and the school terminated their gas contract in exchange for a residue gas line that was more cost effective. When gas occurs naturally it is undetectable due to the fact that it is odorless and colorless. These dangerous combinations lead to the minor leaks in the new line going unnoticed by school officials. The leaks caused gas to build up in a crawl space under the school. The tragedy that occurred on March 18, 1937 changed natural gas regulations forever. A teacher was in the basement doing some work with an electric sander when a spark ignited the gas that was built up under the school. The explosion that followed the initial spark killed somewhere around 400 teachers and students and completely demolished the school. Today that remains the worst catastrophe in any US school.

An Antifungal called methyl mercury is used to help keep mold growth down while shipping barley and wheat seeds for use as seed grains. This chemical is poisonous to people and can cause serious illness or death if it is consumed. In 1971 190,000 metric tons of this treated grain was sent from America and Mexico to Barsa, Iraq. The poison warnings on the bags were only written in English and Spanish. So when the delivery was intercepted and some of the bags were stolen the contaminated grains entered the Iraqi food distribution channels. Shortly after the bags were stolen thousands of cases of mercury poisoning were reported. It is estimated that somewhere near 500 people died as a result of eating the poisoned wheat.

www.B-H-A.com has a lot more information on contractors\’ environmental coverage and specific details on Beacon Hill Associate\’s pollution liability products.

http://www.b-h-a.com has a lot more information on contractors\’ environmental coverage and specific details on Beacon Hill Associate\’s pollution liability products http://www.b-h-a.com/cpl.

Author Bio: www.B-H-A.com has a lot more information on contractors\’ environmental coverage and specific details on Beacon Hill Associate\’s pollution liability products.

Category: Business
Keywords: Environment, Business, Industry, Insurance, Health