Wacker, Others Faulted in US Investigation of Chemical Fatality

Companies in hazardous businesses such as chemical production must ensure their subcontractors’ maintenance work is coordinated for safety, a federal investigation of a fatal chemical plant accident found.

That recommendation and others issued Thursday stem from the deadly release of a toxic gas at the Wacker Polysilicon North America plant in Charleston, Tenn., and the US Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board’s analysis of the mishap.

One worker died and two were seriously injured when they fell while trying to climb down a 70-foot-tall tower to escape a cloud of hydrogen chloride gas in December 2020.

The report concluded that ...