An explosion at a West, Texas fertilizer plant last week that killed 14 people is being attributed to ammonium nitrate stored inside the plant. It is unclear who knew that the chemicals were at the plant, raising questions about regulatory standards and their effectiveness. Federal, state and local agencies all had some responsibility over the plant. The last Occupational Health and Safety Inspection at the plant was 28 years ago, with the agency saying that it did not fall into a priority category, partly because of an apparent failure to report some chemicals present in the facility.
See "Texas Fertilizer Plant Fell Through Regulatory Cracks", Manny Fernandez and Steven Greenhouse, The New York Times, April 25, 2013