Oct. 3--Prompted by the explosion at the ConAgra Foods plant in Garner this summer, a federal agency is urging companies and contractors to avoid releasing natural gas indoors.

The U.S. Chemical Safety Board concluded in June that the purging of a new gas line inside the Slim Jim plant on Jones Sausage Road likely caused a buildup of gas that led to the explosion June 9. Investigators have not said what they think sparked the explosion, which killed three workers and injured dozens more.

On Friday, the agency issued a safety bulletin urging companies to vent gas outdoors whenever possible and to purge gas pipes indoors only when strict safeguards are in place. The bulletin identifies several other serious gas explosions that occurred during purging, including one at the Rex Wellness Center of Cary that severely burned two men in 1997.

Last month, the N.C. Building Code Council voted to require workers who are purging indoor gas lines to vent the pipes outside the building. New guidelines say workers should take proper precautions if venting is not possible, including evacuation of those not directly working on the gas lines.

The Chemical Safety Board is an independent agency charged with investigating industrial chemical accidents but without regulatory power.

It continues to investigate the ConAgra explosion, with a final report expected next year.

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