Dennis Egan

Dennis Egan, head of the Lemont-based Egan Marine, said the barge made the same trip twice before without any problems.

Dennis Egan, owner of Egan Marine Corp. in Lemont, told the hearing officer his company was experienced in towing combustible cargo.

Asked if the company had an operations manual, Egan said: "I assume we have one.
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Egan said he didn't know the name of the outside firm that drafts the company's safety guidelines.

"I don't have time to do all that," he said of drafting company safety procedures."I'm sure the company puts a safety manual together or we wouldn't pay them."

Egan said employees who don't follow company policy are dismissed.

"Because of the laws today, we can't flog them," he said.

Egan was questioned for several hours Monday as Coast Guard officials try to determine the cause of the explosion.