Dozens of safety violations found at Tenn. munitions factory after deadly blast

U.S. Dozens of safety violations found at Tennessee munitions factory after last year's deadly explosion By Nicole Valdes April 16, 2026 / 6:22 PM EDT / CBS News Add CBS News on Google A munitions company that handles explosives for the U.S. military is facing a fine of over $3 million after Tennessee investigators found dozens of safety violations at the company's facility where an explosion killed 16 people last year.The Oct. 10 explosion destroyed Building 602 at Accurate Energetic Systems' facility in McEwen, Tennessee, killing all 16 employees inside. According to investigators, employees in that building were working a supply chain that handled "melt cast explosives."A 122-page inspection shared with CBS News details more than 100 safety violations, with at least 44 described as "willful-serious."Among the violations, officials with the Tennessee Occupational Safety and Health Administration said they found evidence that Accurate Energetic Systems had not taken adequate precautions to prevent the ignition of flammable vapors being handled at the facility. The agency said the company also failed to maintain required safety information for its hazardous equipment and demonstrated plain indifference to employee safety."AES, despite clear knowledge of the industry standards and recognized explosion hazards in Building 602, continued operations with excessive personnel, unnecessary occupancy, and explosive quantities far beyond the minimum needed for safe and efficient operations," investigators said in their report."AES demonstrated plain indifference to employee safety by failing to limit personnel present, duration of employee exposure, and amount of explosive material present during operations in Building 602 that exposed employees to known explosion, fire, and blast hazards," the investigators said. "AES increased limits including the net explosive weight, personnel, and transient limits for Building 602 without documented basis demonstrating intentional disre...