Improving workplace health & safety through collaboration

Articles Federal investigators to begin probe of DuPont plant deaths

Federal investigators to begin probe of DuPont plant deaths

Principal Author / Publisher:Safetyhow Admin
Article Rating:
Body
BY ERWIN SEBA
HOUSTON Sun Nov 16, 2014 3:22pm EST

(Reuters) - Investigators from the U.S. Chemical Safety Board (CSB) were headed on Sunday to a DuPont and Co plant in LaPorte, Texas, to begin a probe of a chemical leak that killed four workers.

The victims were among a group of workers who were trying on Saturday to contain a leak of methyl mercaptan at the plant, located in a cluster of refineries and chemical plants 26 miles (42 km) from downtown Houston.

The chemical is used to give natural gas its rotten-egg smell and in making insecticides and plastics. Methyl mercaptan is hazardous and can cause death in high enough concentrations. The volatile chemical can also explode. In a statement, the CSB, an independent federal agency, did not mention having any prior concerns about the La Porte plant.

Two of the dead workers were identified as brothers Robert and Gilbert Tisnado, according to Houston television station KTRK. No information was available on the other two workers who were killed. A third worker was taken to an area hospital and is expected to recover.

A DuPont representative was not immediately available to confirm the identities or discuss the status of the fifth worker.

Randall Clements, the DuPont La Porte plant manager, said in a statement that the leak, which caused a stench across much of southern Houston, began at about 4 a.m. CST (1000 GMT) Saturday and was later contained. "It appears at this point that several of the employees were responding to a leak in a valve," Clements said. During a news conference on Saturday Clements said the four workers had between eight months and 40 years of work experience.

There were no records of inspections of the plant found on the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) website. An OSHA representative was not immediately available to discuss the plant's history. OSHA will conduct an investigation separate from the CSB.

The plant was issued operating permits by the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality in 2009 and 2011. The CSB said it had investigated accidents at four other DuPont facilities, including a 2010 phosgene release at a DuPont Plant in Belle, West Virginia, that caused one death and an accident that same year at a DuPont facility outside of Buffalo, New York, that fatally injured one worker.

(Reporting by Erwin Seba; Editing by Terry Wade and Jeffrey Benkoe)
  • 7dd9ff1a5914b76aab16cd5379c94e0d00.jpg
  • vc31ed4e3430d9b27fbfd28c54dbac980e.jpg

Videos



References
Industries
Categories
Keywords
Article Rating

This article has been read 1101 times.

DISCLAIMER: All contents published on this website is for informational purposes only. In as much as we encourage write-ups to be originally written by the claimed authors, we might not be able to control those who will try to copy articles from other authors/writers. In view of the above, the owner and management of Safetyhow.com will not be liable for any loses, injuries, or damages from the display or use of the contents herein. Likewise, the owner and management will not be liable for any errors or omissions in the information stated. Furthermore, we highly recommend that any form of plagiarism or libel committed as a result or implication of the articles written by any specific author in this platform be reported to us immediately so that appropriate action will be given.

BROWSE ARTICLE BY CATEGORY

BROWSE ARTICLE BY INDUSTRY