June 25, 2019

2 Min Read
CSB Issues Report on Chemical Release at DuPont Plant
powder_1 copy_127.jpg

The U.S. Chemical Safety Board (CSB) issued its final investigation report on a release of methyl mercaptan at DuPont’s LaPorte, TX plant in 2014 that left four workers dead at a public business meeting this Tuesday. 

“Our investigation revealed a long chain of failures which resulted in this fatal event, including deferring much needed process improvements; improvements that could have prevented the toxic release,” said CSB Interim Executive Dr. Kristen Kulinowski in an agency press release announcing the report’s release. 

On Nov. 15, 2014, about 24,000 lb of methyl mercaptan was released through two valves in a “poorly ventilated” structure at the LaPorte site used for manufacturing, according to the agency. Operations workers at the facility worked for several days prior to the incident to unclog blocked pipes on the building’s exterior. 

Attempts to clear the blockage resulted in a pressure issue in the piping. When two workers tried to drain liquid from the pipes inside the building, the chemical leaked into the building, filling the structure with toxic vapor. The two workers who were present when the leak occurred died from the fumes. Two other staff members also died from exposure to the chemical.  

“The CSB’s investigation determined that the cause of the toxic chemical release was a flawed engineering design and lack of adequate safeguards. Contributing to the severity of the incident were numerous safety management shortcoming, including deficiencies in formal process safety culture assessments, auditing, and corrective actions, and troubleshooting operations,” the CSB’s lead investigator, Tamara Qureshi, said in a statement. 

The agency identified several key lessons of interest to the chemical industry, including emergency planning and response, process safety management systems, and process safety culture. CSB officials also provided recommendations to the DuPont LaPorte chemical facility and the Local 900C of the International Chemical Workers Union Council (ICWUC) of the United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW). 

A full copy of the report can be seen here.

For more news headlines, articles, and equipment reviews, visit our Equipment Zones

Sign up for the Powder & Bulk Solids Weekly newsletter.

You May Also Like