In 2023, two explosions rocked Archer Daniels Midland's Decatur plant — one in April, another in September. The second left eight workers severely injured. Several were placed in medically induced comas, and one was airlifted to a burn unit in Indianapolis.

Newly public records from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration offer a clearer picture of that September blast. They show hexane — a flammable solvent ADM uses to extract oil from soybeans — escaped during a routine shutdown and met a spark. What caused that spark is still unknown. ADM declined to let OSHA privately interview the fire investigator it hired, and the agency didn't press the issue.

Investigate Midwest senior reporter Sky Chadde obtained the records. He joins us to talk about what they show, the April explosion OSHA is still investigating, and why it's so hard to see inside one of Illinois' biggest companies.