Big One at the Plant

In safety suits and breathing through air tanks, 35 workers and safety experts at Reichhold Chemical in Azusa dealt with a chilling scenario Saturday: A quake had cracked a pipeline to a tank containing a deadly chemical.

Afterward, those participating, such as Russell Carman, right, washed off, as they would if their contaminant had been a toxic substance instead of water tinted with nontoxic yellow paint .

Reichhold, which makes resins used in the manufacture of paints, polyurethane and plastics, has instituted workshops similar to Saturday’s four-hour drill partly in response to federal requirements for safety training.