Federal safety agency issues final report into 2025 blast that killed 2 at Pennsylvania steel plant. The U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board report recommends that U.S. Steel develop a written procedure for washing valves with pressurized water in order to minimize the operation's hazards. PUBLISHED: August 11, 2026 at 5:04 PM EDT UPDATED: August 11, 2026 at 5:08 PM EDT By JOHN RABY A federal safety agency recommended the development of written policies and procedures for flushing gas valves a year after a blast at a U.S. Steel plant near Pittsburgh killed two workers. The U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board issued a final report into the August 2025 blast at Clairton Coke Works, which also injured 11 others, including contractors. U.S. Steel has said the explosion happened when workers were flushing a gas valve with pressurized water in preparation for routine planned maintenance at the sprawling riverside industrial facility, the largest of its kind in the Western Hemisphere. The valve ruptured under intense pressure and released combustible coke oven gas. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration previously fined the company a total of $118,214 and issued 10 citations. OSHA had said that U.S. Steel's written procedures, practices and training to safely maintain equipment and flush the gas valve were incomplete, outdated or inadequate. The Chemical Safety Board report recommended that U.S. Steel develop a written procedure for washing valves with pressurized water in order to minimize the operation's hazards. It also recommended that an industrial cleaning contractor which used a pump truck to apply pressurized water to the valve develop written policies and procedures for cleaning piping systems containing flammable or toxic gas, and train its workers in such operations. The Chemical Safety Board report found that when a valve would not close fully, U.S. Steel had a practice of injecting steam or high-pressure water into the cleanout port in an attempt to remove residue. "U.S. Steel had no procedure for how to safely conduct this operation, but for at least three years before the incident, U.S. Steel employees had utilized pressurized water to clean valve seats on an ad hoc basis despite the lack of a formal procedure prescribing it," according to the report's executive summary. Chemical Safety Board member Sylvia Johnson said the blast "was the result of workers routinely performing a task incorrectly over a period of years until it ultimately led to a catastrophic explosion." The valve that failed was more than 70 years old and made from cast iron, which the report said is widely recognized as a brittle material. Numerous safety publications either ban or warn against using cast iron equipment in certain hazardous applications, including for flammable substances such as coke oven gas. The report also said the two workers who died and two of the five seriously injured workers were located around buildings directly above the coke oven gas piping. If these buildings were located in a different area of the facility away from coke ovens, "this incident could have been far less severe," said Drew Sahli, the Chemical Safety Board investigator in charge. Before the blast, Clairton Coke Works had a history of accidents and explosions, and some current and former workers there say poor management and underinvestment have exacerbated air pollution and undermined workplace safety, Pittsburgh's Public Source and The Associated Press have found. The blast came on top of a string of other accidents at the Clairton plant over time, as well as a long history of legal battles between U.S. Steel and Allegheny County regulators, who regularly accuse the company of flouting environmental rules at the facility. The report noted that a similar gas oven explosion occurred at the Clairton plant in July 2010, injuring 14 U.S. Steel employees and six contractors. The report criticized U.S. Steel for failing to conduct a subsequent facility siting evaluation after that incident.

Barrick announces senior appointments to Corporate Affairs and Investor Relations. TORONTO, Aug. 07, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) - Barrick Mining Corporation (NYSE:B) (TSX:ABX) announced today the appointment of Sarah Ball Teslik as Chief Corporate Affairs Officer; Daniel Wilner as Senior Vice President, Corporate Affairs and Capital Markets; and Emily Chieng as Vice President, Investor Relations. The appointments establish an integrated corporate affairs function spanning communications, investor relations, and stakeholder engagement across Barrick's operations in 17 countries. "We are proud of the work we do around the world, and it's vital we tell that story effectively to our shareholders, employees, and host communities," said Mark Hill, President and Chief Executive Officer of Barrick. "Sarah, Dan, and Emily bring the experience, credibility, and creativity to make sure we do that. Together they give us a corporate affairs capability that matches the scale and the ambition of Barrick." Sarah Ball Teslik brings more than four decades of experience across investor stewardship, corporate governance, securities law, communications and the extractive sector. She joins Barrick from Greenspoon Marder LLP, where she was a Partner and President of its affiliate, Value(s) Management and Investing. She was previously a Partner at Joele Frank and a Senior Vice President at Apache Corporation and is the founder and manager of Governance Week. Earlier in her career she served as Chief Executive Officer of the Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards and as the founding Executive Director of the Council of Institutional Investors and practiced corporate law. Sarah holds a Juris Doctor from Georgetown University, a Master of Arts in Modern History from the University of Oxford, and a Bachelor of Arts in History from Whitman College. A trusted advisor to Barrick for many years, Daniel Wilner is building and leading the company's integrated communications and investor relations team. He founded and led Stone Pine, a strategic advisory firm with clients across mining and critical minerals, AI, finance, climate technology, fintech, and media. He has advised boards and senior executives on strategy, proxy communications, ESG disclosure, and institutional investor engagement. A Canadian residing in Montreal, Dan holds a B.A. in Philosophy from Harvard and a B.A., M.A. in Philosophy, Politics, and Economics from Oxford, where he studied as a Rhodes Scholar. Emily Chieng, CFA, joins Barrick from United States Steel Corporation, where she served as Investor Relations Officer from 2023, leading investor engagement through the company's strategic alternatives review and its subsequent acquisition by Nippon Steel. She previously spent nearly a decade at Goldman Sachs, most recently as Vice President, Equity Research, covering 20 companies across North America metals and mining. She began her career at BHP. Emily holds a Bachelor of Engineering and Bachelor of Pharmaceutical Science from Monash University. Based in New York, Chieng will take part in Barrick's second quarter 2026 results presentation on August 10, 2026. About Barrick Mining Corporation Barrick is a leading global mining, exploration, and development company. With one of the largest portfolios of world-class and long-life gold and copper assets in the industry, Barrick's operations and projects span 17 countries and five continents. Barrick is also the largest gold producer in the United States. Military Industry Today create real, long-term value for all stakeholders through responsible mining, strong partnerships, and a disciplined approach to growth. Barrick shares trade on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol 'B' and on the Toronto Stock Exchange under the symbol 'ABX'. Legal Disclaimer: EIN Presswire provides this news content "as is" without warranty of any kind. Military Industry Today do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the author above.