LA PORTE, Texas – Four workers killed by a lethal gas leak at a La Porte facility in November 2014 would still be alive had DuPont taken steps to protect them, according to a U.S. Department of Labor investigation.
DuPont was cited Thursday for 11 safety violations by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration. The company must also complete "scores" of safety upgrades to prevent future accidents at the Lannate/API manufacturing building.
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On Nov. 15, 2014, Gilbert Tisnado, Bobby Tisnado, Crystle Wise and Wade Baker were working at the La Porte DuPont plant when 23,000 pounds of highly toxic and dangerous methyl mercaptan leaked. All four people died in the building.
According to OSHA, one of the workers was overwhelmed after methyl mercaptan gas was unexpectedly released when she opened a drain on a methyl mercaptan vent line. Two co-workers who came to her aid were also overcome. None of the three wore protective respirators. A fourth co-worker, the brother of one of the fallen men, attempted a rescue, but was unsuccessful.
"Four people lost their lives and their families lost loved ones because DuPont did not have proper safety procedures in place," Assistant Secretary of Labor for Occupational Safety and Health Dr. David Michaels said. "Had the company assessed the dangers involved, or trained their employees on what to do if the ventilation system stopped working, they might have had a chance."
DuPont was cited for one repeat violation, nine serious violations and one other OSHA violation. The repeat violation was assessed for not training employees on using the building's ventilation system and other safety procedures, such as how to respond if the fans stopped working. In July 2010, DuPont was cited for a similar violation.
OSHA has fined the company $99,000.
DuPont released a statement Thursday that read, "Since the November 15th tragic accident at La Porte, DuPont has taken a series of actions to prevent this from ever happening again. In the Lannate® unit, we are conducting completely new process hazards analyses, acting on findings from our own investigation, and the unit will not restart until this work is complete. Additionally, as part of our commitment to the highest standards of safety, health and the environment, we are also conducting a comprehensive assessment of the implementation of our Process Safety Management systems. The company also continues to cooperate with federal and state authorities, as they complete their investigations, including OSHA. We are reviewing the OSHA findings. Safety is a core value and constant priority at DuPont. Our response to this tragedy reinforces our absolute focus on safety and enables us to learn from it so that we can find ways to be an even better company."
The company has 15 business days to comply, request an informal conference or contest the findings, according to OSHA.