Broad Safety Problems Found at Texas DuPont Plant Where 4 Workers Died

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 [e-mail]

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September 30, 2015 11:52 ET (15:52 GMT)

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