W. Va. DuPont Worker Dies after Phosgene Exposure
According to a recent article, federal safety officials are investigating a DuPont chemical plant after a series of leaks that resulted in the death of one worker.
The DuPont Belle plant in West Virginia is on safety shutdown after three leaks were reported. One leak, which released about 1,900 pounds of hazardous methyl chloride, went unnoticed for 5 days.
The federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration and the U.S. Chemical Safety Board are investigating.
On January 23, 2010 a worker was taken to a Charleston hospital after being exposed to the chemical phosgene. The article reported that a 58-year-old man who was a 32-year DuPont employee died on January 24, 2010.
Phosgene is used to make plastics and pesticides, and can damage the respiratory system.
The company reported the methyl chloride leak to emergency officials on January 22. On the 23rd, the worker was taken to the hospital after being exposed to phosgene residue in a transfer line.
The plant reported that less than 20 pounds of sulfuric acid had leaked from its spent acid recovery process.
The deceased worker’s family would be well advised to contact an experienced worker’s compensation attorney who can carefully examine the incident to identify any negligence or wrongdoing. An experienced attorney would also look into a “third party claim.” These are claims that are filed against parties that are not the worker’s employer. It could be a contractor, a sub-contractor, or even the manufacturer of a defective product. If it is determined that one of those parties was responsible for the accident and any injuries, then they could be held liable.
Any worker who has sustained an injury arising out of and in the course of their employment has a potential workers’ compensation claim. The injury can occur while traveling on business, doing a work-related errand, attending a required business-related social function, or even while on a break or using restroom facilities and you are still legally covered by workers compensation.
Whether your injury was a simple slip and fall, or involves serious injuries, Cherry, Fieger, & Marciano can help you. These dedicated and skilled Philadelphia workers comp lawyers will do everything possible to get the monetary compensation that is owed to you to help pay medical bills, physical therapy, loss of work and more.
Source: http://www.dailypress.com/news/virginia/dp-wv--dupontproblems0125jan25,0,7321974.story
