There were no reports of other injuries, and the cause of the explosion is under investigation by the Kentucky State Fire Marshal, according to AK and Kentucky fire officials.
The blast did not affect steelmaking operations at its Ashland Works plant, the company said.
“We are deeply saddened by this tragic accident which claimed the life of a contractor working in the Ashland coke plant,” said James Wainscott, chairman, president and chief executive officer of AK Steel in a statement. “The safety of everyone who enters our facilities is our very highest priority, and we will continue to investigate this accident in order to understand, to the best of our ability, exactly what happened. The thoughts and prayers of our entire organization are with the family and friends of the victim of this accident.”
The blast, which occurred in a portion of the byproducts area of AK Steel’s Ashland Coke Plant, rocked the western side of the facility, with flames shooting 20 to 30 feet from the plant, according to company and news reports. The contract employee killed was working in that section of the plant, according to AK Steel.
“This is by far the worst incident that’s ever took place since I worked here,” said Barry Webb, financial secretary and spokesman for United Steelworkers Local 523.
The union represents AK employees at the coke plant and not the contract workers. He said the accident caught everyone by surprise, making it hard to put into words.
AK announced in March its coke plants in Ashland and Middletown received awards for outstanding safety performance from American Coke and Coal Chemicals Institute, a trade association. This is the sixth year in a row the Ashland plant received the safety award, McCoy said.
“It’s been a very disappointing day,” said Webb, a plant repairman welder.
The steelmaker announced in December it would permanently close the Ashland coke plant during the second quarter of this year, which ends June 30. In December, AK said the coke plant, which employed 263 hourly and salaried workers, will be shut down because it is no longer cost competitive due to increased maintenance costs and environmental regulations.
McCoy has said AK faced as much as $50 million over several years to meet environmental regulations for the coke plant.
AK Steel, based in West Chester Twp., also operates Middletown Works.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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