OSHA Fines Dow $54K After Explosion at Louisiana Plant

The US Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) cited Dow Chemical for safety violations at the chemical manufacturer’s Plaquemine, LA facility on April 24, according to inspection records posted to the agency’s website. The company faces a fine of $53,976.

Inspectors issued four serious citations. OSHA opened an investigation into the facility on Nov. 4, 2019, a day after an explosion occurred in the site’s Glycol 2 unit. Following the blast, Dow said that the incident was caused by ruptured vessel. No injuries were reported.

The inspection record states that Dow is currently working to abate the violations by June 11. 

Powder & Bulk Solids reported in late March that four workers tested positive for COVID-19 at Dow’s Plaquemine plant. The company implemented a number of safety measures at the site to protect workers from exposure to the virus, including temperature checks, restrictions on visitors to the facility, and offering to-go box lunches in the cafeteria. 

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