OSHA Investigating Louisiana Chemical Plant Explosions

Both federal and state investigators are investigating recent fatal explosions at two different Louisiana chemical plants.

The first explosion occurred at the Williams Olefins chemical plant in Geismar on June 13. The explosion killed two people, and injured 114. Just a couple of days later, there was another explosion at a CF Industries facility in Donaldson, which is located along the Mississippi River. One person was killed in the explosion, and seven workers injured.

In the case of the Donaldson explosion, nitrogen was being offloaded from an 18-wheeler. The vessel that was used to transport nitrogen to the facility was highly pressurized, and investigators believe the vessel failed, causing the explosion.

Fortunately, this wasn’t an explosion like the fertilizer plant explosion in West, Texas, earlier this year that had a devastating effect on surrounding areas. This time, the damage was contained within the facility.

The fact that there were two explosions in a week in an area that is packed with chemical plants and refineries is very disturbing to Texas refinery explosion lawyers. These two facilities are located just a few miles apart in an area that has several plants that contain highly hazardous substances.

These explosions have raised concerns that federal regulatory agencies have a too-relaxed attitude toward safety at chemical plants.

Refinery and chemical plant explosions are relatively rare but can be devastating in their impact. They’re very often linked to multiple fatalities and catastrophic injuries, like burn injuries, amputations and crushing injuries.