You gotta give Bayer officials one thing: They stick to their story …

Last week, I reported about Bayer  CEO Werner Wenning telling shareholders at his company’s annual meeting — despite plenty of evidence to the contrary — that no dangerous chemicals were released during the August 2008 explosion and fire that killed two Institute plant workers.

Now, Bayer has issued its annual corporate “Sustainable Development Report,” and included some comments about the near-disaster in Institute.

In the report, released Tuesday, an initial description of the incident (See page 6) said:

An explosion and fire occurred at a Bayer CropScience plant in Institute, West Virginia on August 28, 2008. Two employees died as a result of the incident. Air samples taken at the site boundaries did not reveal any elevated concentrations of hazardous substances in the
environment.

 Bayer CEO Werner Wenning, in an AP photo.

The report continued (see page 72):

Sadly, we have to report that two employees died in an explosion at a facility operated by Bayer CropScience in Institute, West Virginia, United States. Air measurements at the site perimeter showed no evidence of an elevated concentration of hazardous substances in the environment. The population was not endangered at any time. Bayer CropScience supported the authorities involved in their investigations into the causes of the accident. The company also undertook its own investigation and has initiated steps to further improve occupational safety and communication in emergencies.

The goal of all these measures, which have been developed and implemented in close cooperation with the authorities, is to ensure the safety of employees and neighbors and limit impact on the environment. Bayer CropScience has decided to suspend production until the causes of the accident have been unequivocally ascertained and the facilities can be operated safely.

That all sounds about right … except for a couple of things:

– Bayer officials repeatedly stonewalled local emergency responders who wanted information the night of the explosion so they could help protect Kanawha Valley residents.

– Bayer was cited by the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration for 13 serious and two repeat violations in OSHA’s investigation of the explosion and fire.

– Bayer officials and their attorneys, worried about bad press and pressure from the public, misused a chemical plant anti-terrorism law to try to hide information about the incident from Kanawha Valley residents.

– The U.S. Chemical Safety Board found that a  series of major safety lapses led to that explosion that killed two workers, and congressional investigators warned that the incident could have eclipsed Bhopal.

– Bayer knew MIC monitors were broken before the August 2008 explosion, but started up the Methomyl unit anyway.

This entry was posted on Thursday, May 28, 2009 at 4:08 pm and is filed under Chemical industry, Environment, Worker safety. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.