The Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Department of Justice have entered into a Stipulation of Settlement with DuPont to address alleged accident prevention violations at its former La Porte, TX chemical manufacturing facility.
DuPont will pay a $3.1 million civil penalty. The company, now known as DowDuPont,shut down the plant.
“Accidental releases of methyl mercaptan can be extremely dangerous,” said EPA Region 6 Compliance Assurance and Enforcement Director Cheryl Seager. “This settlement ensures the rule of law is being followed by DuPont and emphasizes the importance of implementing risk management programs to protect our communities and our workers.”
On November 15, 2014, an incident occurred and nearly 24,000 pounds of methyl mercaptan was released within the Lannate unit at its La Porte, Texas facility. Methyl mercaptan is a highly toxic, highly flammable chemical that can cause asphyxiation. The release resulted in the deaths of four persons inside the Lannate manufacturing building. The four employees died from a combination of asphyxia and acute exposure to methyl mercaptan.
EPA, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, and the Chemical Safety Board all conducted inspections or investigations after the incident. The Lannateunit was shut down after the incident.
The Chemical Safety Board issued Interim Recommendations from its investigation on September 30, 2015. In March of 2016, DuPont announced that it was closing the facility.
The Complaint alleges 22 separate violations of the Clean Air Act’s Risk Management Program at DuPont’s former La Porte, Texas facility. The violations alleged in the Complaint include:
- failure to develop and implement written operating procedures
- failure to adequately implement management of change procedures
- failure to implement safe work practices
- mechanical integrity violations
No injunctive relief was required since the facility is no longer in operation, the EPA reported.
DuPont, which has long nurtured its reputation for safe practices in a dangerous industry, was roundly criticized after the accident. A few detractors claimed the company’s cost-cutting efforts were taking precedence over safety.