Texas chemical leak kills four, seven years after plant's last workplace safety inspection

A reminder Rick Perry wants companies to know that Texas is open for business.

Four DuPont workers died and a fifth was hospitalized because of a leak at a Texas chemical plant over the weekend. The event was called unusual for being so deadly without involving a fire or explosion. Instead, a valve leak released methyl mercaptan, killing the workers.
It's a sad fact that when workers die on the job in a Texas chemical plant, one of the key questions is when the site was last inspected by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration and the Environmental Protection Agency. And in this case, the answer is that OSHA has not inspected the plant since 2007, a visit that resulted in fines for two serious violations. Additionally:

EPA records show that it is out of compliance with hazardous-waste-management and air-emissions standards. The agency brought formal enforcement actions for violations at the site in 2012 and 2014, resulting in penalties totaling $117,375.

DuPont last month disclosed that it was continuing discussions with the EPA and the Justice Department related to waste-water treatment, hazardous-waste management and air emissions at the La Porte site.
Making and storing dangerous chemicals is always going to be dangerous. But that's why it's so important to have strong regulations, regular inspections, and companies that treat their responsibility to their workers and their neighbors with the utmost seriousness.

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