2006 Falk Corporation Explosion - Aftermath

Aftermath

In the immediate aftermath of the explosion, Falk was forced to outsource some parts of the production process to other manufacturers, and are continuing to send regular updates of work in progress to customers, including emailing pictures of the products, which are made to order, as they are built. A fund was set up for victims of the explosion. Rexnord made an initial donation of $100,000; by December 2006, the fund had topped $325,000. A separate fund was also set up for the young children of one of the deceased. The company had started to ship finished products again by December 20. By January 10, all 750 Falk Corporation employees had returned to work. The company intends to rebuild on the site. The explosion has, to date, cost Rexnord over $40 million in damage and lost sales. The company is insured for up to $2 billion per incident. When Christmas came, the Salvation Army donated toys to Falk employees for their children, to help with the cost of Christmas at a time when the families were still very distressed. Milwaukee's state representative, Pedro Colón, has said that there were no laws in Wisconsin requiring the inspection of propane tanks, and is now pushing for adoption of such laws. In October 2008, the lawsuit went to trial in Milwaukee. After four weeks of trial, Rexnord was found to be primarily at fault for the explosion and J.M. Brennan was not liable for any of the damages.