Abstract: On June 10, 2004, Employees #1, #2, and #3 were working at Stat, Inc. located in Hudson, NC. The company received 55 gallon drums of lacquer dust waste from various furniture industries. The employees would dump the contents of the barrels into a pit, add water and a surfactant from a 10,000-gallon tank, and mix the pit contents with an excavator bucket. The finished product would then be transported to an incineration facility. The three employees had successfully treated 40 barrels. While working with the third set of 20 barrels, a lid to one of the barrels was opened. The contents of the barrel rose up and a fire began underneath the column of lacquer dust. A dust explosion occurred as the column of dust began to collapse to the floor. Employees #1 and #2 received second-degree burns and Employee #3 suffered a sprained ankle. The building was completely destroyed.