LEEDS, Ala. — A section of roof collapsed over M&B Hangers’ Alabama facility Thursday, injuring six and forcing the company to temporarily halt production.
Contractors were repairing a column in the facility’s storage area that had been hit by a forklift a few weeks prior when the roof began “falling in sections,” president and CEO Milton Magnus told the Associated Press. Heavy storms in recent weeks may have further compromised the structure, he says. About a third of the 100,000-square-foot facility was affected.
None of the injuries was life-threatening. Two contractors suffered broken bones, and four M&B employees escaped with minor cuts and bruises. All were treated and released from the hospital. “We thank God that no one was hurt seriously,” Magnus told American Drycleaner.
M&B employs about 100 people at its Leeds plant, the largest hanger-manufacturing plant in the U.S. The company has doubled its workforce at the plant since March, when the Department of Commerce (DOC) ruled in M&B’s favor on an antidumping complaint and levied tariffs on Chinese-made hangers.
M&B halted production temporarily following the accident, but expects it to resume this week. “Over the weekend, a construction crew cleaned up the debris, and we plan to have the affected area isolated by Wednesday,” Magnus says. “Production should begin shortly after that.”
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