Thursday, June 11, 2015

1 WORKER DIES FROM CHEMICAL EXPOSURE TO CYANIDE AT INEOS NITRILES PLANT NEAR PORT LAVACA, TEXAS





JUNE 10, 2015

PORT LAVACA, TEXAS

A 21-year-old Victoria man died Wednesday morning of chemical exposure at the Ineos Nitriles plant near Port Lavaca.

The victim was James Wade Gutierrez, who was pronounced dead at 5:34 a.m. at Citizens Medical Center, said Victoria County Justice of the Peace Mary Ann Rivera.

Rivera ordered an autopsy to determine the cause of Gutierrez's death.

A caller summoning help from the Calhoun County Sheriff's Office said Gutierrez was exposed to cyanide, said Calhoun County Sheriff George Aleman.

Emergency medical personnel responded to the plant off state Highway 185 about 4:30 a.m., Aleman said.

Gutierrez was taken to Citizens Medical Center, where he died from injuries suffered from the chemical exposure. However, the circumstances of the fatality are under review, according to an Ineos Nitriles news release.

Gutierrez worked for Zachry Industrial, a San Antonio-based company, which was contracted by Ineos Nitriles, said Zachry Industrial spokesman A.J. Rodriguez.

"We express our condolences to his family," Rodriguez said.

Rodriguez would not say how long Gutierrez worked for Zachry Industrial or provide more information about circumstances that led to Gutierrez's death.

In a news release, Ineos Nitriles officials said "It is with great sadness that Ineos Nitriles confirms a contractor fatality at its Green Lake site. ... Ineos Nitriles expresses its deepest condolences to the deceased's family and commits to cooperating with any investigations concerning the incident."

The company has contacted the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, said Ineos Nitriles spokesman Charles Saunders.

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration has started investigating the death, agency spokeswoman Diana Petterson wrote in an email Wednesday.