CSB Chairperson Vanessa Allen Sutherland said, “DuPont has long been regarded as a safety leader in the chemical industry, but this investigation has uncovered weaknesses or failures in DuPont’s safety planning and procedures. These interim recommendations lay out what the company at its La Porte facility should do to protect workers and the public."
Days prior to the accident, water had mixed with liquid methyl mercaptan in piping. Due to cold weather in the Houston area, this mixture formed a solid material called a hydrate, which blocked the piping.