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U.S. Department of Labor | July 9, 2015
OSHA conducts second inspection after
Texas plant tragedy, finds serious, willful and repeat violations; DuPont placed in
Severe Violator Enforcement Program
LA PORTE, Texas – In November 2014, a worker was
overcome at a DuPont chemical manufacturing facility when a supply line unexpectedly
released more than 20,000 lbs. of methyl mercaptan, a deadly chemical. Three
co-workers came to the worker’s aid in an attempted rescue, but all four were
asphyxiated fatally by the colorless, flammable, and highly toxic gas.
After
the initial investigation into the four deaths, the Department of Labor’s
Occupational Safety and Health Administration found hazards that prompted the inspection
at the facility to be expanded under the National Emphasis Program for chemical
facilities.
Today, OSHA issued
citations to DuPont for three willful, one repeat and four serious violations
at their chemical manufacturing plant in La Porte. The agency has proposed
penalties of $273,000 for these new violations.
“DuPont promotes itself as having a ‘world-class
safety’ culture and even markets its safety expertise to other employers, but these
four preventable workplace deaths and the very serious hazards we uncovered at
this facility are evidence of a failed safety program,” said Assistant Secretary
of Labor for Occupational Safety and Health Dr. David Michaels. “Nothing
can bring these workers back to their loved ones. I hope that our continued
scrutiny into this facility and into working conditions at other DuPont plants will
mean no family ever suffers this loss again. We here at OSHA want DuPont and
the chemical industry as a whole to hear this message loud and clear.”
OSHA has also placed
the company in its Severe
Violator Enforcement Program. The
program concentrates resources on inspecting employers who have demonstrated indifference
towards creating a safe and healthy workplace by committing willful or repeated
violations, and/or failing to abate known hazards. It also mandates
follow-up inspections to ensure compliance with the law.
A complete list of the citations from the expanded
inspection under the emphasis program is available
here.
Headquartered in
Delaware, E.I. DuPont de Nemours and Co., (commonly known as DuPont) was cited in May for
eight serious and one repeat violation regarding the fatalities with a penalty
of $99,000. The company has contested the citations. In addition, the company
was cited
at their Darrow, Louisiana facility in November 2014 and Deepwater, New Jersey
facility in December 2014 for similar process safety
management violations.
DuPont employs about 63,000
people with operations in about 90 countries globally. The La Porte location
employs 313 workers who manufacture pesticides and other chemicals for the
company.
The company has 15 business
days from receipt of its citations and proposed penalties to comply, request an
informal conference with OSHA’s area director in Houston South, or contest the
findings before the independent Occupational Safety and Health Review
Commission.
To ask questions, obtain
compliance assistance, file a complaint, or report workplace hospitalizations,
fatalities or situations posing imminent danger to workers, the public should
call OSHA’s toll-free hotline at 800-321-OSHA (6742), the agency’s Houston
South office at 281-286-0583 or its Houston North office at 281-591-2438.
Under the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970, OSHA’s role is to promote safe and
healthful working conditions for America’s working men and women by setting and
enforcing standards, and providing training, outreach and education. For
more information, visit http://www.osha.gov.
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Media Contacts:
Lauren North, 202-693-4655, north.lauren.a@dol.gov
Juan
Rodriguez, 972-850-4709, rodriguez.juan@dol.gov
Release Number: 15-1341-NAT
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