Imperial Sugar Company
•Port Wentworth sugar plant was built in 1917 and had operated for more than 80 years without a major incident.
•Facility converted raw sugar into granulated sugar, then packaged it or refined it into specialty sugar products.
•Process used hammer mills, conveyor belts, and bucket elevators – all of which caused sugar dust to disperse into the
air and spill onto the floor.
•The depth of the spilled sugar ranged from several inches in some places to several feet in others. Sugar dust that
dispersed into the air settled upon horizontal structures such as light fixtures and beams.
•Dust collection equipment was undersized, outdated, and ineffective.