CSB Approves Investigators' Findings in Deadly DuPont Accident
Oct. 4, 2015
The Chemical Safety Board discovered flawed safety procedures, design problems and more in its investigation of the toxic chemical leak that killed four workers at the DuPont insecticide plant in La Porte, Texas, in 2014.
On Nov. 15, 2014, nearly 24,000 pounds of deadly methyl mercaptan escaped in the middle of the night through two valves in a poorly ventilated manufacturing building of DuPont’s insecticide plant in La Porte, Texas.
In one area of the plant, operations personnel attempted to clear blocked piping. Later in a different area, two workers opened valves in response to what they believed was a routine, unrelated pressure problem. The two workers were killed when liquid methyl mercaptan drained from the open valves, filling the room with toxic vapor. One of those workers made a distress call, and two additional workers died responding to that call.
The CSB unanimously approved investigators’ draft findings and recommendations at a public meeting Sept. 30 in Houston, not far from the plant. The board also released an animation based on the team’s findings, showing how the fatal accident occurred.
