The disaster at the Ashdod refinery: police transferred the case to the prosecution

About six months after the deaths of engineers Irina Radchuk and Nitzan Goichman in the disaster at the Ashdod refinery, police transferred the case to the prosecution. Among the suspects are company managers, two brothers, and the owner of a company that supplied the containers. Testimony from a veteran engineer reveals a chain of alleged safety failures, including the lack of a camera in the testing room. The company said it is investing resources in safety.

About six months after the deaths of chemical engineers Irina Radchuk and Nitzan Goichman in the disaster at the Ashdod refinery, police transferred the case to the prosecution. Among the suspects are company managers, two brothers, and the owner of a company that supplied the containers that were supposed to hold medical air. The two were killed while testing hazardous materials, when their suits were connected to containers that held 100% nitrogen. A veteran laboratory engineer, who asked to remain anonymous, claimed he had warned for years about the lack of a camera in the testing room and that management refused to install one. According to him, on the day of the disaster no one noticed the engineers' collapse in real time, and they were in the room for about 50 minutes before being found. He also criticized management's conduct after the event, which he said blamed only the suppliers. Hezi Shvartzman, head of the safety administration at the Ministry of Labor, submitted an expert opinion to the police. The refinery said the company shares in the families' grief and invests resources in safety.