Inspectors had planned Longview mill safety visit week of deadly collapse
State and federal records reviewed by The Associated Press show the Nippon Dynawave Packaging Co. pulp mill in Longview, Washington, where 11 workers died in a May chemical tank collapse had a history of safety complaints, poor maintenance, and discharges of toxic chemicals before the accident.
The tank failure occurred as the workday began, expelling huge amounts of a caustic liquid capable of causing severe burns, the records show. The accident ranks among the deadliest U.S. workplace accidents in decades, according to the AP review.
Prior to the accident, the state Department of Ecology had issued 54 environmental violation notices against Nippon Dynawave Packaging Co. since 2016 and fined the company $41,500 for eight serious violations, the records show.
The state’s Department of Labor and Industries separately investigated more than a dozen safety complaints at the plant since 2018 and issued almost $7,000 in fines for violations, according to the AP review.
State inspectors had planned to visit the plant the week of the tragedy to interview workers about two unrelated safety complaints. Those plans were disrupted when the tank failed as the workday began.
The Department of Labor and Industries reported that more than $2.4 million in workers’ compensation claims have been paid for 169 employees injured on the job since 2015.
The claims include injuries related to exposure to caustic substances, according to the records reviewed by the AP.
The agency’s investigation into the May tank collapse remains ongoing, and the agency has opened two new investigations at the facility since the accident.
The mill, which employs 530 workers, produces pulp that is made into paper goods, according to the records.