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MIDDLETOWN — It will be weeks before family, friends and co-workers know the full story of the events that led to the death of Tom Rogers after a chemical release at United Waste Water Services on Lefferson Road.

The facility, which recycles oily waste water, was closed earlier this week while the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency and the Occupational Health and Safety Administration began their investigations following the Saturday, June 21, incident.

The average fatality investigation lasts about a month and includes interviews with witnesses, first responders and next of kin, said Dick Gilgrist, area director of the Cincinnati OSHA office.

A preliminary autopsy showed Rogers, 45, of Colerain Twp., had an enlarged heart, but it will take toxicology results to determine whether it played a role in his death, said Doyle Burke, chief investigator of the Warren County Coroner's Office.

United President Dave Brown said without air samples it's impossible to know whether there even was a release of chemicals Saturday; and said all workers at the employee-owned company were trained on handling hazardous materials and evacuation procedures.

"There was no air monitoring done to indicate any release of chemicals," he said. "I don't have any data in front of me saying there was a release."

However, Middletown Deputy Fire Chief Dennis Sorrell said workers at the facility told firefighters Saturday there was a release of sodium hydrosulfide solution and they were not trained to mitigate it.

Also, two Middletown firefighters were treated and released from Atrium Medical Center for exposure to fumes, according to fire officials.

The Cincinnati OSHA office had no history of safety violations at the Middletown facility and Brown said the company's safety record with the Bureau of Workmans' Compensation is better than the industry average.

Normal operations at the facility won't resume until an industrial hygiene company completes an evaluation of the site's procedures.

"We just want to make sure our team members are safe," Brown said.

In the meantime, the facility's approximately 18 employees are doing cleaning duty or working out of the company's Sharonville location.

Contact this reporter at (513) 705-2511 or dwells@coxohio.com.