O'Connor Plating Works disaster

{{Short description|Industrial explosion}}

{{Use mdy dates|date=February 2025}}

{{infobox event

|title = O'Connor Plating Works disaster

|image=O'Connor Plating Works disaster (1).jpg

|caption=Front page image of the Los Angeles Daily News on February 20, 1947

|location = 926 E Pico Blvd Los Angeles, CA 90021 United States

|coordinates = {{coord| 34.03099|N|118.25030|W}}

|reported death(s) = 17

|reported injuries = 100+

}}

On 20 February 1947, a large accidental explosion at the O'Connor Plating Works at 926 East Pico Boulevard in Los Angeles killed seventeen people and injured more than one hundred.{{cite news |last1=Hill |first1=Gladwin |title=EXPLOSION KILLS 15 IN LOS ANGELES, INJURES OVER 100; Destroys Electroplating Plant and Smashes Near-by Area With Thunderous Violence |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1947/02/21/archives/explosion-kills-15-in-los-angeles-injures-over-100-destroys.html |access-date=17 May 2020 |work=New York Times |date=21 February 1947}}{{cite news |title=Explosion Spotlights Ghetto Housing |url=https://ladailymirror.com/2018/02/27/black-l-a-1947-huge-blast-kills-17-show-dangers-of-industry-moving-into-black-neighborhoods/ |access-date=17 May 2020 |publisher=Los Angeles Sentinel }} Eleven nearby buildings were damaged beyond repair. Press reports mentioned a {{convert|25|ft|m|adj=on}} crater.{{cite news |title=Five Negroes Killed in City's Worst Blast |url=https://ladailymirror.com/2018/02/27/black-l-a-1947-huge-blast-kills-17-show-dangers-of-industry-moving-into-black-neighborhoods/ |access-date=17 May 2020 |publisher=Los Angeles Sentinel }}

The explosion was caused by the improper handling of perchloric acid, which the plant was using as an experimental method for polishing aluminum. On the day of the accident, the cooling unit required to store perchloric acid safely was not working. A vessel of {{convert|130|USgal|L}} of the chemical was boiling and may have ignited when a plastic rack was lowered into it.{{cite web |last1=Rasmussen |first1=Cecilia |title=Deadly Blast a Proving Ground for Live TV |url=https://lafire.com/famous_fires/1947-0220_ElectroPlatingExplosion/1947-0220_ElectroPlatingExplosion.htm |publisher=Los Angeles Fire Department |access-date=17 May 2020}}