Pacific Engineering And Production Co

Solid rocket fuel is among the most explosive and dangerous substances in the defense and space industries, but it was chosen for use in the boosters of the Space Shuttle because among other things it is cheaper and easier to store than liquid fuel, according to experts in the space industry.

The Nevada Division of Occupational Safety and Health on Thursday cited Pacific Engineering & Production Co. for a host of safety violations and recommended a $36,455 fine in connection with the May 4 explosion that leveled its Henderson, Nev., plant. The blast resulted in two deaths, 300 injuries and $73 million in property damage in the adjoining community.

Sharp disagreements over factory safety emerged Thursday as an investigation got under way into the origin of an explosion at a rocket fuel plant that caused millions of dollars in property damage and left one man dead and another presumed killed. Some workers and union leaders charged Thursday that Pacific Engineering and Production Co.

Operators of a plant that processed a rocket fuel component for the U.S. space shuttle and nuclear missile programs on Thursday blamed a leaking natural gas line for explosions last week that killed two people and caused $74 million in damage. The announcement by Pacific Engineering & Production Co. came only hours after the nation's only other processor of the solid fuel component, Kerr-McGee Corp.

Three searing explosions of orange flame Wednesday destroyed a plant that makes rocket fuel oxidizer for the space shuttle and many of the nation's nuclear missiles. The blasts flattened a candy factory next door. One person was killed and 210 were hurt, one critically. At 10 p.m., officials said all employees at both the Pacific Engineering and Production Co. and the Kidd and Co. marshmallow factory had been accounted for. Nevada Gov.

The Nevada Division of Occupational Safety and Health on Thursday cited Pacific Engineering & Production Co. for a host of safety violations and recommended a $36,455 fine in connection with the May 4 explosion that leveled its Henderson, Nev., plant. The blast resulted in two deaths, 300 injuries and $73 million in property damage in the adjoining community.

Kerr-McGee Chemical Corp. stunned and angered residents and authorities here Wednesday by resuming production of a rocket fuel component only a week after the lethal explosion of another company's nearby plant that processed the same material. Kerr-McGee announced the shutdown of its plant the day after the blast and assured residents and officials that it would not resume production until the cause of the explosion was determined.

Operators of a plant that processed a rocket fuel component for the U.S. space shuttle and nuclear missile programs on Thursday blamed a leaking natural gas line for explosions last week that killed two people and caused $74 million in damage. The announcement by Pacific Engineering & Production Co. came only hours after the nation's only other processor of the solid fuel component, Kerr-McGee Corp.

The Kerr-McGee Corp. has agreed to temporarily suspend production of ammonium perchlorate until an independent safety inspection finds the company's Henderson, Nev., plant is safe, Gov. Richard Bryan announced today. Bryan said the company agreed to the temporary shutdown late this morning after several hours of talks. Kerr-McGee resumed production of the chemical Tuesday after shutting the plant down following last week's massive blasts at the Pacific Engineering and Production Co.

In an attempt to make itself more attractive to public investors, Irvine-based American Pacific Corp. said Wednesday that its board of directors is considering the sale of its real estate and housing operations to its chairman and principal stockholder in an approximately $10-million stock transaction. "Basically it is our feeling the stock market doesn't value real estate companies fairly," said American Pacific Vice President Paul L. Winther.

Kerr-McGee Chemical Corp. stunned and angered residents and authorities here Wednesday by resuming production of a rocket fuel component only a week after the lethal explosion of another company's nearby plant that processed the same material. Kerr-McGee announced the shutdown of its plant the day after the blast and assured residents and officials that it would not resume production until the cause of the explosion was determined.

Sharp disagreements over factory safety emerged Thursday as an investigation got under way into the origin of an explosion at a rocket fuel plant that caused millions of dollars in property damage and left one man dead and another presumed killed. Some workers and union leaders charged Thursday that Pacific Engineering and Production Co.

Solid rocket fuel is among the most explosive and dangerous substances in the defense and space industries, but it was chosen for use in the boosters of the Space Shuttle because among other things it is cheaper and easier to store than liquid fuel, according to experts in the space industry.

Three searing explosions of orange flame Wednesday destroyed a plant that makes rocket fuel oxidizer for the space shuttle and many of the nation's nuclear missiles. The blasts flattened a candy factory next door. One person was killed and 210 were hurt, one critically. At 10 p.m., officials said all employees at both the Pacific Engineering and Production Co. and the Kidd and Co. marshmallow factory had been accounted for. Nevada Gov.

An explosion that killed two people, injured 350 others and caused $73 million in damage at a southern Nevada rocket fuel plant last May resulted from hazardous working conditions that allowed a small fire to become a runaway blaze, according to a United Steelworkers Union report released Thursday. The union report analyzing the May 4 explosion at the Pacific Engineering and Production Co. (PEPCON) plant in Henderson, Nev., places primary blame for the disaster on the company because it failed to install adequate fire-suppression systems, repair faulty electrical equipment, heed warnings from workers and observe basic safety codes.

The Customs Service is fighting what may be a losing battle to halt what it says is an attempt by Iran to obtain about 286,000 pounds of a now-scarce rocket fuel ingredient from an American company--fuel enough for about 300 military missiles. The struggle, now the subject of a federal court case and internal squabbling within the Bush Administration, illustrates the difficulty U.S.