Worker Killed in Incident at Industrial Plant on Port of Texas

An industrial accident in a Texas City facility claimed the life of a 26-year-old worker last weekend.

The incident occurred on Saturday, February 11, just after 10 p.m. on Dock Road in the Port of Texas City at plant owned by Dallas Group of America, Inc.

According to its website, Dallas Group produces “adsorbent synthetic magnesium silicate products” used primarily for restaurant and food service. These products include filters, filter pads and filter powders often used in industrial fryers in restaurants. The company is also the only manufacturer in the nation of ammonium chloride – a chemical known to cause drowsiness or confusion when individuals are exposed to large doses.

The 26 year old was fatally injured while working with a heavy piece of industrial equipment that packages the products the company sells. He was transported to the Clear Lake Regional Mainland Medical Center in Texas City, but died at the hospital.

Following the fatal accident, the facility was shut down.

Details of precisely what happened at the facility that night are sparse, but the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) is investigating the on-the-job fatality. It is believed that the 26 year old fell into or was somehow entangled in the mechanical equipment. Investigators are also looking at the possibility whether the worker had been overcome by fumes at the time of the incident.

An autopsy was performed last week, but the Galveston County Medical Examiner’s Office has not released the cause of death. The investigation into the matter is ongoing.

Source: Galveston Daily News, “Worker killed in industrial accident,” 2/13/12.