Employees of the BP Amoco Polymers plant comfort one another outside the facility's offices at Tobacco and Clanton roads. Plant officials say the two explosions, which killed three men, occurred simultaneously at about 2:35 a.m. Tuesday. JONATHAN ERNST/STAFF

After their best preparations, those at the BP Amoco Polymers facility were trying to make sense of the violent deaths of three co-workers, killed by explosions in the early-morning hours Tuesday.

``It's your worst fear,'' said Site Services Manager Pam Barbara. ``They're friends. They work with each other side by side. We constantly talk about being safe, and when something like this happens it's devastating.''

Mrs. Barbara identified the dead as Heinrich ``Heins'' Kohl, 25; George Sanders, 42; and John Rowland, 35. All three were operators at the plant.

Officials say the two explosions occurred simultaneously at about 2:35 a.m. in the southern end of the Amodel unit, one of several buildings in the sprawling plastic-producing plant at Tobacco and Clanton roads.

The workers were shutting down the unit for routine maintenance and repairs, Mrs. Barbara said. They already had flushed hot water through the pipes and were in the cool-down process when the explosions hit.

According to a member of the plant's fire brigade, damage from the blasts was minimal, but Syltherm, a heat-transfer fluid that keeps pipes hot to prevent polymers from hardening, was left leaking and fueled a blaze that took hours to put out.

Mr. Kohl and Mr. Sanders reportedly suffered catastrophic injuries and likely were at ground zero of the blasts. Mr. Rowland was not pronounced dead for more than an hour. Plant emergency workers performed cardiopulmonary resuscitation on him, as did Rural/Metro Ambulance paramedics.

After arriving at the plant, medics had to wait about 15 minutes before they could reach Mr. Rowland, Rural/Metro spokeswoman Valerie Spratlin said. The explosions produced a cloud of ominous white smoke that rescuers could not pass through until the plant determined it wasn't toxic.

Until they did, the cloud created a brief public health scare. It was creeping southward toward Waynesboro when the plant found it was only steam and harmless to the public, said Richmond County Emergency Management Agency Director David Dlugolenski.

Had it not been, the agency would have faced the daunting task of warning hundreds of residences and businesses during hours when most people are asleep.

``With a county this size, with as many hazards as we face, we should have the capability to rapidly notify the public,'' said Mr. Dlugolenski, referring to a notifier system that would allow him to contact large sections of the county with a single phone call, something he wants the county government to fund. ``This is a perfect example of how vulnerable we are.''

More than 200 people work at the plant, and about 25 were working when the explosions occurred. Mr. Dlugolenski said they appear to have followed their risk management plan, which sets up guidelines for dealing with such disasters as severe weather, workplace violence and industrial accidents.

Mrs. Barbara said that the plant conducted at least two practice drills last year and that procedures are periodically reviewed with employees.

On Tuesday, counselors and the Rev. William Burch of Burns Memorial United Methodist Church on nearby Lumpkin Road were brought in to assist the workers. The Rev. Burch conducted prayer groups.

``It's a very, very tough time for all of us,'' said Scott Savage, plant manager. ``It's a very tragic event, and a lot of people are not doing very well right now.''

Three teams will investigate. The federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration has sent two compliance officers, said Cindy Coe, the agency's regional administrator in Atlanta.

A third investigator, with expertise in explosions, arrived Tuesday from the agency's national office in Washington, Ms. Coe said. The agency must complete its investigation within six months, she said.

The agency can issue fines of as much as $70,000 if the company is found in severe violation of federal regulations or if it is found in violation of regulations it has been cited for during the past three years, Ms. Coe said. The company was fined $622 in July 1997 for a ``serious violation,'' according to OSHA's Web site.

An inspector from the Georgia Department of Labor also has begun to look into the incident.

But it will be up to an internal investigative team from Amoco Polymers to determine the ``root cause'' of the explosions, Mr. Savage said.

This is the first time anyone has died in an industrial accident since BP Amoco took over the plant in 1988, Mrs. Barbara said.

The plant, operated by BP Amoco Chemicals Inc., is one of several hulking industrial plants in south Augusta. It produces high-performance plastics that are designed to withstand high temperatures and are used in such products as auto parts and hospital equipment. The chemical company, a division of oil giant BP Amoco, also has a research-and-development center at its U.S. headquarters in Alpharetta, Ga.

Nearby residents of the plant said they were surprised that, nearly 12 hours after the accident, no one had come by to notify them.

Gail Sandlin said the possibility of a serious accident had some effect on her decision to buy a home in the neighborhood. Both she and her husband, Mike, had some concerns about the safety of the plant.

``It's an issue because I have children,'' Mrs. Sandlin said. ``I may have to think about it before I decide to buy.''

Catherine Kent has lived near the chemical plant on Clanton Road since 1987. Ms. Kent said accidents at the site have gotten worse through the years.

``It seems a lot of things are happening more often like leaks and spills,'' she said. ``Nothing's really been serious up until this point.''

Timeline

6:15 p.m.: Overnight shift workers : including Heinrich Kohl, George Sanders and John Rowland arrive at the plant and suit up for work.

6:30 p.m.: Workers clock in and begin set-up procedures.

7 p.m.: Work begins.

11:30 p.m. : Workers begin flushing hot water through the Amodel unit, a first step toward shutting it down for maintenance and equipment repairs.

1:45 a.m.: A small vessel is opened as part of the repair process.

2:35 a.m.: As the unit is cooling down, two explosions occur simultaneously. Mr. Kohl and Mr. Sanders die at the scene. Mr. Rowland is mortally injured.

2:40 a.m.: Richmond County 911 receives a call from BP Amoco requesting an ambulance.

2:48 a.m.: Fire trucks arrive on the scene, but cannot enter the area because of smoke.

3:04 a.m.: RuralMetro paramedics find plant emergency personnel performing CPR on Mr. Rowland.

3:09 a.m.: Ambulance is in route to Medical College of Georgia trauma center. CPR is still in progress on Mr. Rowland.

3:30 a.m.: Mr. Rowland has arrived at MCG.

3:52 a.m. : Mr. Rowland pronounced dead at MCG.

5:30 a.m. : Rev. William Burch of Burns Memorial United Methodist Church arrives at the plant to counsel employees.

6 a.m. : Plant Manager Scott Savage holds the first of three press conferences. He announces that three employees were killed in an explosion, says family members have been notified and says the fire is under control.

8:30 a.m. : The fire fueled by Syltherm, a heat transfer fluid, is finally quenched by the plant's fire brigade and Augusta-Richmond County Firefighters.

10 a.m. : Company counselors arrive to assist employees.

11 a.m. : An investigator from the Georgia Department of Labor begins his probe.

3 p.m. : Investigators from Occupational Safety and Health Administration arrive to investigate the explosions.

4:30 p.m. : Internal investigators from Amoco Polymers arrive to look for a root cause.

7 p.m. : Overnight shift workers arriving for work are briefed by Mr. Savage. Counselors remain on site.

Staff Writers Albert Ross and Heidi Coryell contributed to this article.

Reach Johnny Edwards at (706) 823-3225.