The nation’s deadliest explosion this century occurred in Tennessee one year ago when an explosion at a munitions plant killed 16 people.
One year on, the families of the workers who died are pursuing litigation, and questions remain about the regulatory oversight of potentially dangerous workplaces.
On Oct. 10, 2025, workers at Accurate Energetic Systems, or AES, were processing what the industry calls cast boosters. They’re devices containing TNT or other highly explosive materials that are used to initiate larger detonations. The workers were melting down explosive material, pouring it into tubes and packaging it inside a building containing 25,000 pounds of explosive material.
In an instant, a detonation set off a pressure wave, causing more than 90% of the material to burn or explode. People felt the shock wave 20 miles away.
More: Molasses and munitions: deadly explosions throughout U.S. history | WPLN News
The explosion and resulting deaths were subsequently investigated by the Tennessee Occupational Safety and Health Administration, which had last performed an inspection at the AES campus in 2019 and issued violations. TOSHA did not conduct any follow-up safety inspections.
In April, TOSHA issued 100 violations, saying the company demonstrated a “plain indifference” to worker safety, and fined AES about $3.1 million.
“The employer did not furnish employment and a place of employment which were free from recognized hazards that were causing or likely to cause death or serious physical harm to employees,” TOSHA wrote in a citation.
Families pursue legal action against AES
The families of the people who died are pursuing a wrongful death lawsuit against AES. The company attempted to get the lawsuits dismissed, but a judge this week ruled that the case will move forward.
A review of historical explosions by WPLN News places the incident as the deadliest explosion in the U.S. during the 21st century, and the most lethal since a petrochemical plant near Houston exploded in 1990 and killed 17 people.
Questions remain on whether there is a gap in industry regulations. Federal regulators consider explosives manufacturing a “low hazard” industry, so facilities like AES have historically not been prioritized for inspections.
No new regulations have been announced at the federal or state level. Gov. Bill Lee said earlier this year that the monetary fine “should be a deterrent to businesses going forward.”
Industrial, gas explosions occur every year
Explosions outside of war happen every year across the globe. In May, a fireworks factory in China exploded and killed at least 37 people. A flash fire and explosion at a chemical plant in Louisville led to two hospitalizations earlier this week — back in 2011, an explosion killed two people at the same plant. An explosion killed two people in Toledo, Ohio in August at an industrial cleaning and recycling facility. Five people died from an explosion at a weapons facility in South Korea in June.
In the U.S., the gas infrastructure connected to homes and businesses presents another considerable risk for explosions. Gas pipelines and other gas infrastructure explode and kill about 10 per year, on average, according to the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration. Non-fatal leaks and explosions happen daily in the U.S.
Two gas pipeline explosions occurred in New Mexico this week and killed two people. Earlier this year, a gas pipeline exploded and caused a fire at an apartment complex in Dallas that killed three people.
Worldwide, gas explosions are also common. In June, a facility that processes liquefied gas exploded in Qatar, killing 13 people and injuring 66 others. In July, gas infrastructure in a shopping mall in Japan exploded and killed three people after an earthquake.
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