Broad Safety Problems Found at Texas DuPont Plant Where 4 Workers Died
30 September 2015 - 6:07PM
Dow Jones News
By Alison Sider
Federal investigators found broad safety problems at a DuPont
Co. plant where four workers died last year from exposure to a
toxic gas, including poor building design and an inadequate warning
system, according to a report released Wednesday by the U.S.
Chemical Safety Board.
The board, which investigates industrial accidents, had
previously reported that flawed pipe systems contributed to the
release of nearly 24,000 pounds of methyl mercaptan, an ingredient
in insecticides. The deadly gas filled a poorly ventilated DuPont
building in La Porte, Texas, last November; two workers died
immediately while a pair of brothers who went to help were found
dead next to each other.
But the new report lays out widespread problems with DuPont's
safety approach at the plant. The board will review the draft
report and vote on whether to accept its findings and
recommendations at a public meeting Wednesday evening in
Houston.
"DuPont has long been regarded as a safety leader in the
chemical industry, but this investigation has uncovered weaknesses
or failures in DuPont's safety planning and procedures," said
Vanessa Allen Sutherland, chairwoman of the board.
The company said it is working to address the board's
recommendations but "respectfully disagrees" with some aspects of
its findings. DuPont wouldn't provide details, citing continuing
discussions with the agency.
"We value the CSB's perspective, and we are taking their
recommendations seriously," said James O'Connor, manager of the La
Porte plant, adding that it will remain shut down "until DuPont has
executed a comprehensive and integrated plan to safely resume
operations."
Investigators said much of the manufacturing work didn't have to
be done in an enclosed space, which made conditions more dangerous
for workers. Ventilation fans weren't working, though the size of
the chemical release would probably have been overwhelming in any
case, the report said.
In addition, the report faulted the plant's detection system for
the gas, saying that the system "does not effectively warn workers
or protect the public from highly toxic chemical exposure."
This is the CSB's third investigation of fatal accidents at
DuPont plants in the past five years. The Occupational Safety and
Health Administration has also cited DuPont for several violations
and proposed fines totaling $372,000. It has placed the company in
a "severe violator enforcement program."
Write to Alison Sider at alison.sider@wsj.com
Subscribe to WSJ: http://online.wsj.com?mod=djnwires
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
September 30, 2015 11:52 ET (15:52 GMT)
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