Husband of woman killed in plant blast criticizes managers

AP Wire, June 12, 2008

A Goodyear retiree whose wife was found dead at the company's plant
hours after an early morning explosion said Wednesday rescue workers
should have searched sooner and more thoroughly for her.

The body of Gloria McInnis, 55, a production supervisor at the plant,
was found under debris about seven hours after the 7:30 a.m. blast in a
heat exchange unit at the plant, said Goodyear spokesman Scott Baughman.

Her husband, Raymond McInnis, who worked at the plant for 38 years,
questioned the methods used by plant officials to find his wife's body.

"They let her lay there seven hours," McInnis told the Houston
Chronicle. "Was she dead at the time (of the explosion), or did she die
later?"

Baughman did not immediately return a call from The Associated Press
seeking comment on McInnis's complaints, but he told the Chronicle,
"Those are some of the issues we're looking into this morning."

Gloria McInnis had been a Goodyear employee for 32 years. Her husband,
71, retired 12 years ago.

Six others were injured during the incident. Five other workers were
treated and released for injuries after the incident and a sixth was
being held for observation.

The explosion also caused a small release of ammonia, which is used as a
refrigerant to cool processed liquids.

The six injured were treated on-site by the plant's medical team before
being transferred to local hospitals. Baughman said the damage and small
ammonia spill were contained in a small area of the plant, which makes
synthetic rubber for the production of tires.

The plant was evacuated for several hours after the explosion. About 200
people were in the plant at the time.

There was no danger to the public, plant officials said.

The plant was given an "all-clear" around 11 a.m., when employees were
allowed back in to the facility.

Plant officials were investigating the cause of the explosion and trying
to determine how much ammonia was spilled.