(AP) — Eleven contract workers were injured Tuesday in a boiler accident at chemical manufacturer Axiall Corp.'s Natrium plant in West Virginia's Northern Panhandle, the company said. The company said in a statement that the accident occurred around 7 a.m. Tuesday in the power plant at the facility in New Martinsville. The workers were taken to four local hospitals for treatment.
The company says the coal-fired boiler has been shut down. The cause of the accident is being investigated.
According to the Atlanta-based company's website, the facility manufactures chlorine, caustic soda and hydrochloric acid. The Charleston Gazette (https://bit.ly/1ISXrJv) reports three workers were treated at hospitals and released, and three others were being held for observation. Information about the other five workers was not immediately available.
In September 2014, one worker at the plant was killed and three others were injured when they were exposed to a caustic soda solution while doing maintenance work. Earlier this year, the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration fined the company $11,000.