NC seeks details from contractor after flash fire injured two at Wolfspeed headquarters
The North Carolina Department of Labor has begun investigating a flash fire that injured two contractors early Monday morning at the Durham headquarters of the semiconductor manufacturer Wolfspeed.
A few minutes before 7 a.m., the workers were hurt “while moving a tool that had been shut down for relocation,” Wolfspeed spokesperson Tyler Gronbach said. Both were taken to a medical facility and have since been released.
The Durham Fire Department described the injuries as minor.
On Thursday, the state Labor Department confirmed it had begun to investigate the contract workers’ employer, Texas-based Fluor Corp.
“At this point, we are conducting an investigation by letter which will allow the employer the opportunity to provide more details about the accident and how the potential hazards will be corrected,” said NCDOL spokesperson Erin Wilson. “The (Occupational Safety and Health) Division will evaluate the employer’s response to determine if any additional action is necessary.”
Wolfspeed’s main campus has been the scene of two fatal accidents in the past two years.
In October 2022, Wolfspeed electrician Vincent Farrell was killed after he contacted a live wire. The company was fined for two serious violations following a months-long investigation.
In response to the violations, Wolfspeed informed NCDOL it had made multiple safety changes since Farrell’s death to “mitigate historical issues.” One of the adjustments was to move the company’s safety division away from its Global Operations unit. Wolfspeed acknowledged this arrangement had presented “inherent conflict.”
Then in July, a contract worker named Ricardo Aguilar Aleman died after falling from the second story of a building at the Wolfspeed headquarters. NCDOL fined his employer, Raleigh-based Southern Industrial Constructors, for a pair of serious safety violations last month.
Wolfspeed manufactures semiconductor chips out of a unique material it produces itself called silicon carbide. The company is currently constructing a new silicon carbide facility in western Chatham County where it intends to employ just over 1,800 people by the end of the decade.
“The safety, health and overall well-being of our employees and contractors has been — and will continue to be — our number one priority,” Gronbach said. “Wolfspeed remains steadfast in our commitment to the health and safety of our community.”
This story was originally published January 11, 2024 at 4:16 PM.
