In the early morning of January 23, 2020, an explosion occurred at the Watson Grinding and Manufacturing facility in Houston, Texas. The explosion was immense. Hundreds of homes were damaged, and many residents of the local community were injured; those who were unfortunate enough to be in their homes that morning of the explosion.
Years later, the United States Chemical safety and Hazard Investigation Board (“CSB”) sheds light on how the explosion occurred in the CSB’s June 29, 2023 report. Therein, the CSB notes that two Watson employees arrived at the facility shortly before 4:30 a.m. The report posits that the cause was a degraded and poorly crimpled rubber welding hose, which disconnected from its fitting overnight. That hose carried propylene, a highly flammable gas that is used in welding, cutting, and/or fabrication. The propylene hose began to leak at least the night before the explosion, and by the time the employees reported to work that morning, the gas had built up within the building. The explosion was a natural result. Both employees would perish because of the explosion.
To this, the CSB comments that Watson Grinding could have prevented the incident if it had “developed and implemented an effective process safety management program to identify and control hazards.” The CSB discovered that Watson Grinding did not have an effective emergency response plan that would address hazards such as the propylene leak, nor did Watson effectively train its “workers on operating procedures that included a requirement to effectively isolate the propylene storage tank from the [subject] building at the end of each workday.” Perhaps worst of all, the CSB determined that Watson had an ineffective inspection, testing, and preventative maintenance policy system in place to maintain the integrity of the emergency warning systems designed to alert employees of accumulating dangerous vapors in the work area.
In labor-intensive industries, when crucial safety measures are ignored, forgotten, or disregarded, injury or death is highly likely to result. This likelihood increases the higher the number of measures that a company or employer fails to meet. In the law, there is little exception to the rule that an employer must provide a safe workplace for its employees, those who work under its supervision or control, and its employees. It is up to those aggrieved by callous, deficient practices to hold those accountable who would endanger their employees for higher profit.
If you have been injured or someone you know has been injured or killed in a workplace accident that you believe is by the fault of the negligence of another, please contact an attorney at Abraham, Watkins, Nichols, Agosto, Aziz & Stogner by calling 713-222-7211 or 1-800-870-9584 for a free legal consultation.