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March 23, 2018

Flash fire at Dudley factory injures three workers

Courtesy/Town of Dudley Shield Packaging's Oxford Ave location in Dudley.

A flash fire at a Dudley aerosol packaging plant Friday morning sent three workers to the hospital with minor injuries, fire officials said.

The fire at Shield Packaging on Oxford Avenue was a flash fire started when workers were mixing chemicals around 8 a.m. 

“A static discharge caused the flash fire,” said Fire Chief Dean Kochanowski.

One workers had minor burns to his face and arms, while two others were sent to the hospital for inhalation injuries, Kochanowski said.

Fire crews were able to vent the facility of gases and the facility resumed normal operations shortly after, he said.

He described the incident as just an accident rather than a workplace safety issue, but the company has been fined in the past for several workplace violations. 

Shield Packaging was fined $300,000 in 2016 after a worker’s arm was inflated with chemicals used to fill aerosol cans.

The company settled a case with the state Attorney General’s office for nearly $1 million in November over allegations of overtime and wage violations. A staffing firm working with the factory agreed last month to a $95,000 fine to settle allegations related to that scheme.

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