Houston Chemical Plant Explosion Attorneys Serving Southeast Texas

Most Common Causes of Chemical Plant Explosions and Chemical Releases in Texas

The most common causes of chemical plant explosions and chemical releases in Texas include:

• Equipment failure and outdated equipment
• Gas leaks and vapor cloud buildup
• Failure to ensure equipment is properly maintained through inspection practices
• Inadequate training or poor training of workers
• Process control failures
• Electrical sparks or ignition sources in hazardous materials
• Improper storage or handling of flammable or toxic chemicals
• Dust explosions
• Static electricity buildup
• Unsafe practices and failure to follow safety procedures
• Confined space explosions
• External events

Common Chemical Plant Explosion Injuries in Texas

Most chemical plant explosions cause severe and permanent injuries that require extensive medical treatment and recovery. Most workers are tragically killed in plant explosions. However, if the injured employees of chemical plant explosions survive, these are the outcomes:

• Severe burn injuries (often third-degree burns or fourth-degree burns): thermal and chemical burns, skin graft procedures, permanent scarring, and long-term pain management.
• Traumatic brain injuries (TBIs), spinal cord injuries, and blast injuries: concussions to traumatic brain injuries (TBIs) caused by blast pressure waves, flying debris, or being thrown into objects. Includes primary, secondary, tertiary, and quaternary blast injury categories.
• Toxic exposure injuries: toxic exposure to benzene, hydrogen sulfide (H₂S), hydrofluoric acid, ammonia, and chlorine, which can lead to cancer, asthma attacks, and respiratory illnesses.
• Hearing loss and vision loss: partial or permanent loss of hearing, tinnitus, and vision damage or blindness
• Amputations and crush injuries: often leading to permanent disability
• Wrongful death: In Texas, surviving spouses, parents, and children can file third-party claims and claims against grossly negligent employers (carrying workers’ comp or not).

Who is Responsible When Texas Plant or Refinery Explosions Happen?

• Plant owners and operators: Responsible for putting proper safety procedures in place, following safety regulations, and providing proper training. They can be held liable under Texas negligence and premises law.
• Third-party contractors: Maintenance crews, turnaround teams, and specialty contractors can be held liable if their work caused or contributed to the event.
• Equipment manufacturers: Defective valves, gaskets, pressure vessels, or safety systems can trigger product liability claims against equipment designers and manufacturers when equipment failure leads to an incident.
• Engineering and EPC firms: Design flaws, poor planning, or construction errors can create dangerous conditions that result in accidents years later.
• Chemical suppliers: Companies that supply hazardous substances may be liable for failure-to-warn claims or providing inadequate safety data sheets (SDS/MSDS).

Important note:

Texas workers’ compensation insurance benefits provide only medical care coverage and partial wage replacement. This is around two-thirds of weekly wages, but income benefits are capped.

Texas is the only state that doesn’t require companies to carry workers’ comp. While most companies carry workers’ comp, if your employer does not, you can sue them directly. Even for companies that carry workers’ comp, employees can still file third-party liability claims against contractors, manufacturers, or other operators on site, which is often where the largest recoveries come from.