United States Steel Corp. and contractor MPW Industrial Services Inc. were cited for serious OSHA violations and fined a combined $179,687 after an August 2025 explosion at the Clairton Coke Works plant killed two employees and injured 12 others.

United States Steel Corp. / MPW Industrial Services — Clairton Coke Works Explosion (2025–2026)

Outcome: Two workers died and 12 were injured in an August 2025 explosion at the Clairton Coke Works; OSHA cited U.S. Steel for $118,214 and contractor MPW Industrial Services for $61,473, a combined $179,687, for serious violations related to flammable gas work safety management, energy control, and high-pressure system failures.

In August 2025, an explosion occurred at United States Steel Corp.'s Clairton Coke Works plant in Clairton, Pennsylvania. The blast killed two employees and injured 12 others. OSHA opened an investigation into both U.S. Steel and its on-site industrial services contractor, MPW Industrial Services Inc.

For U.S. Steel, OSHA identified seven serious violations and one other-than-serious violation, totaling $118,214 in proposed penalties. Investigators found the company failed to apply required safety management practices for work on systems carrying flammable gases and failed to use proper energy control procedures before maintenance work commenced. For MPW Industrial Services, OSHA cited four serious violations and two other-than-serious violations, totaling $61,473, including failure to ensure a missing relief valve on a high-pressure water system and failure to establish coordination procedures for hazardous work with the host employer.

The combined penalty was $179,687.

Primary Source: US Department of Labor cites 2 Pennsylvania employers with serious safety violations following 2025 Clairton Coke Works explosion