The agency said it sent the company multiple letters beginning in December 2023, after releasing its final investigation report. It said its attempts continued through changes in the company’s structure and included another request after Yenkin Majestic Paint Corporation pleaded guilty in federal court in September to negligent endangerment related to the blast.

The explosion and fire broke out April 8, 2021, at the OPC Polymers facility on Leonard Avenue. About 40 workers were inside, according to the Columbus Division of Fire. Wendell Light, a 44-year-old press room supervisor, died; the injured workers included people with severe burns and broken limbs. One employee required a leg amputation after being trapped beneath debris.

The CSB’s investigation found that flammable naphtha vapors and resin escaped from the seal of a closed manway on an operating kettle, forming a vapor cloud. The cloud ignited within minutes, and the fire burned for about 11 hours. The agency identified a reactor manway cover that was not properly designed, built or tested, along with failures in pressure-vessel quality assurance, as central causes. It also cited inadequate emergency planning and training.

CSB Executive Director Stephen Klejst called the company’s lack of response and failure to implement the recommendations a serious disregard for worker safety, particularly after the guilty plea.

Yenkin Majestic Paint Corporation’s website says that entity dissolved Aug. 18, 2026, and that it sold its operations and businesses to three companies, including OPC Polymers, which remains in operation. The safety agency’s recommendations were addressed to Yenkin-Majestic/OPC Polymers. OPC Polymers had not provided a comment as of the report’s publication.