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Gas leak that killed 2 at Maine paper mill was preventable, federal investigators say

Gas leak that killed 2 at Maine paper mill was preventable, federal investigators say

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Federal investigators say a deadly gas release at a Maine paper mill could have been prevented.

Two young workers at the Woodland Pulp mill in Baileyville died in January after they were exposed to hydrogen sulfide gas.

According to the Portland Press Herald, the U.S. Chemical Safety Board said Tuesday the mill lacked basic alarms, tracking systems and ventilation to protect employees from predictable gas releases.

The two employees who died, Kasie Malcolm, 20, and Allen Hornberger, 26, did not have wearable monitors that would have warned them about the gas.

An attorney for the family of one of the victims said the pair “were casualties of a corporate culture that prioritized profits over people.”

A final report from the Chemical Safety Board will include safety recommendations for the mill.

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