It’s been over four years since a deadly chemical plant explosion in Kanawha County killed a worker and injured three others, starting a large fire and dumping car-damaging debris nearly half a mile away. The Chemical Safety Board, charged with investigating chemical incidents and hazards, found the cause of the 2020 explosion and fire in Belle along with mistakes that contributed to the explosion in a chemical dryer. Other federal agencies with the power to regulate the reactive chemicals ignored concerns dating back to 2002. Chemical Safety Board member Sylvia Johnson said “The CSB believes OSHA and the EPA must strengthen their regulations on reactive chemicals and regulations,”. “Addressing reactive chemical hazards will help keep similar incidents from occurring.” A failure to test in the lab with problems in the selection and design of the dryer where the explosion happened, contributed to the blast.