Records show history of safety complaints at site of deadly Washington pulp mill disaster

The Washington pulp mill where 11 workers died after a chemical tank collapsed in May had accumulated years of safety complaints, maintenance problems and toxic chemical discharges, records reviewed by The Associated Press show.

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red flag

State inspectors had planned to visit Nippon Dynawave Packaging’s plant in Longview during the week of the disaster. They intended to interview workers about two unrelated safety complaints, but those plans were interrupted when the tank failed and released large quantities of caustic liquid.

The Washington Department of Ecology had issued 54 environmental violation notices against the company since 2016 and imposed $41,500 in fines for eight serious violations. The state Department of Labor and Industries had investigated more than a dozen safety complaints since 2018 and issued nearly $7,000 in fines. The agency also reported that workers had received more than $2.4 million in compensation for 169 job-related injuries since 2015, including injuries linked to exposure to caustic substances.

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My impression, you put it all together, including the most recent tank collapse, is it is a site that has not been maintained, and that creates risk to employees and risk to public,

Stephen Kmiotek, a chemical engineering professor at Worcester Polytechnic Institute who has followed the accident, called the pattern of equipment failures and violations a "red flag". "My impression, you put it all together, including the most recent tank collapse, is it is a site that has not been maintained, and that creates risk to employees and risk to public," he said.

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not fit for continued service

The U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board said in a report released last week that the company knew the tank was "not fit for continued service" but continued using it. The Department of Ecology filed a post-accident notice listing 35 citations. Nippon Dynawave spokesperson Sam Jefferies declined to comment on the maintenance records, saying the company would cooperate with regulators while the investigation continued. Sheri Lynn King, whose two sons died, has filed a wrongful-death lawsuit alleging that the company failed to maintain and inspect equipment, train and supervise workers, and implement required safeguards.

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We believe the responsible course is to allow the full investigative process to proceed and establish a complete and accurate record before conclusions are reached,