Can the president of the United States help safeguard the lives and jobs of industrial workers in Texas? My five-year experience as a member of the U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board, the federal agency that investigates chemical disasters at industrial facilities, suggests the answer is yes. Let me tell you why.
In late January I walked through the rubble of Watson Grinding and Manufacturing in northwest Houston. The site looked like it had been bombed. A few days earlier, a propylene tank exploded, rocking the region and killing two workers, injuring at least 18 neighbors and damaging hundreds of nearby homes. Two weeks later the owners declared bankruptcy and fired 80 employees who — if the plant ever reopens — will have no right to get their jobs back. CSB is investigating what caused this catastrophe and seven others in Texas.
According to CSB, over a recent 10-year period, there were on average 183 major chemical incidents annually across the United States. They involve powerful explosions, massive fires, toxic releases, with calls for residents to shelter in place or evacuate. Many led to injuries and deaths. They also led to job loss and economic insecurity.
In 2014, a toxic release in DuPont’s plant in La Porte, which employed about 470 employees, killed four workers and shut down much of the facility. In March 2016, DuPont announced the site would never reopen.
In 2019, an explosion at the KMCO chemical facility in Crosby, which had about 180 employees, killed one worker and seriously burned two others. Soon after, management announced layoffs, KMCO filed for bankruptcy, and sold the plant. The new owner, Altivia, says it will hire just 22 former workers when it reopens.
Last Thanksgiving week, TPC’s chemical plant in Port Neches exploded and caught fire. The incident injured three workers and the county temporarily evacuated more than 50,000 neighbors. TPC announced that rebuilding could take up to five years and cut 100 jobs.
Just last month, after a huge fire, 39 people were furloughed at CPI plastics outside Austin.
To support their families, workers every day risk their health and safety in these industries. And they also risk their livelihood if something goes really wrong. Displaced manufacturing workers in new jobs usually earn lower wages and have fewer benefits.
CSB has found that chemical disasters — and the layoffs and plant closings that result — are not inevitable, they are preventable.
Helping ensure that corporate management does not value profit maximization over lives is a role of government. So choosing the right leaders can make a difference.
President Donald Trump made a campaign promise in 2016 that “the American worker will finally have a president who will protect them and fight for them.”
But his record is clear. He has repeatedly favored corporations at the expense of workers and communities. Consider developments at three federal agencies responsible for preventing chemical disasters.
For his entire presidency,…
Read More: Opinion: Trump favors corporations at the expense of worker safety and