Four Factory Operators Accidentally Gas Themselves 2014 | Plainly Difficult

Four plant workers would lose their lives from exposure to poisonous gas at the La Porte DuPont chemical plant, Texas, USA, on the 15 November, 2014.
The Disaster would cost Dupont a rather a lot of money, and would highlight the risks of not properly training operators of chemical plants....
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Sources:
1 www.csb.gov/assets/1/20/dupon...
2
www.csb.gov/dupont-la-porte-f...
3
www.texasmonthly.com/articles...
#disaster #Documentary​​​​ #History​​​​​​​​​ #TrueStories​

Пікірлер: 800

  • @PlainlyDifficult
    @PlainlyDifficult5 ай бұрын

    Do you like the bingo card? Or have any future video suggestions let me know!!!

  • @gtw4546

    @gtw4546

    5 ай бұрын

    Love the disaster bingo card. Please include it in all future videos! Perhaps arrange it so any disaster that scores a 5 or higher gets a bingo?

  • @Mirkon177

    @Mirkon177

    5 ай бұрын

    Haha, Disaster Bingo! Count me in! 😅 I love your sense of humor! As for suggestions, 2 more catastrophic events from the former GDR may be of interest for you: the 1967 Langenweddingen level crossing disaster with 94 dead, 44 of them children, or the 1977 Dannenwalde soviet army ammunition storege explosion, for which there are only estimated casualty numbers of between 50 and 300 soldiers of the red army!

  • @Zach-ku6eu

    @Zach-ku6eu

    5 ай бұрын

    What is wrong with your narrator?! Verbal Cadence, Lack of Pronunciation, Pausing, Stuttering, Lost Reading Comprehension Mid Sentence! Just awful, should replace Hiddley Gob Jack with a bot, it'd be an improvement.

  • @ManabiLT

    @ManabiLT

    5 ай бұрын

    I liked the bingo card! Maybe upload it as an image file somewhere and link it in the video description for future videos. Then viewers can either have it open on their screen to reference, or even print out and mark it as they go along.

  • @hauntedshadowslegacy2826

    @hauntedshadowslegacy2826

    5 ай бұрын

    There's a site you can use to generate custom bingo cards. All you gotta do is input a variety of things for the squares. With a link, anyone can generate a fresh bingo card with all the things you make available to the generator. No screenshot necessary, and everybody gets a different card. I've seen someone do it for LGiO videos. Just a lil suggestion for ya, take it or leave it.

  • @izzieb
    @izzieb5 ай бұрын

    A Du Pont plant having shortcomings?! I'm shocked!

  • @MrSecurity.

    @MrSecurity.

    5 ай бұрын

    They didn't have money to spare they were too busy paying Jeff Gordon to win NASCAR races

  • @richardmetellus2336

    @richardmetellus2336

    5 ай бұрын

    Dupont putting up Micheal Jordan numbers for deadly incidents

  • @kogure7235

    @kogure7235

    5 ай бұрын

    at this point dupont itself is starting to feel like a shortcoming

  • @monkofdarktimes

    @monkofdarktimes

    5 ай бұрын

    They are testing new types of plastics

  • @user-qt7nq5xl1m

    @user-qt7nq5xl1m

    5 ай бұрын

    Dupont killing people through the ages..

  • @LeCharles07
    @LeCharles075 ай бұрын

    If USCSB has taught me anything it's that the only thing more dangerous than an chemical plant in operation is a chemical plant that has temporarily suspended operation.

  • @Hex-Mas

    @Hex-Mas

    5 ай бұрын

    As a electrician, it's usually the person your working with.

  • @markh.6687

    @markh.6687

    5 ай бұрын

    Studies show shut-downs and start-ups are when the most accidents happen. CSB is on the same page.

  • @tim3172

    @tim3172

    5 ай бұрын

    @@Hex-Mas The person my what?

  • @angelachouinard4581

    @angelachouinard4581

    5 ай бұрын

    @@Hex-Mas That goes for plumbers working with gas lines too.

  • @angelachouinard4581

    @angelachouinard4581

    5 ай бұрын

    @@markh.6687 Shift changes are notorious for poor status briefings and failed communication and inevitably combining the two increases the odds.

  • @AirbornChaos
    @AirbornChaos5 ай бұрын

    You missed a couple Bingo spots. Common to smell the toxic cabbage = Warning Signs ignored: Poorly routed pipework = Legacy Infrastructure and/or Risks Ignored, depending on why they were poorly routed.

  • @WindTurbineSyndrome

    @WindTurbineSyndrome

    5 ай бұрын

    Add human error and you have a new Plainly difficult video.

  • @maxhill7065

    @maxhill7065

    5 ай бұрын

    I feel like a few of the broader topics mentioned apply to a few of these, but yes, there were many layers of safety that were awfully disregarded, working in safety supply it's wild how many smaller things got missed. No personal gas monitors, no ambient Atmos detection, no proper protocol regarding unwanted buildups or associated safe workarounds, undocumented tribal knowledge, it's horrifying knowing it's par for the course for DuPont

  • @codertao

    @codertao

    5 ай бұрын

    I was thinking "Normalized Deviance" would be a good addition to the bingo card, but that's kind-of-basically Warning Signs ignored.

  • @Aviertje

    @Aviertje

    5 ай бұрын

    You can probably throw in time pressure too, given the fact that the system was down for several days as they tried to fix the issue. There is no way management wasn't breathing down their necks to fix it before the entire place would grind to a halt somehow.

  • @nox6438

    @nox6438

    5 ай бұрын

    @@AviertjeYea time pressure/deadlines

  • @LeCharles07
    @LeCharles075 ай бұрын

    13:00 Then you get people saying things like "Regulation killed my job!" neglecting the fact that in all likelihood that job would have killed them without regulation.

  • @krissteel4074

    @krissteel4074

    5 ай бұрын

    Yeah, you need to be careful of 'old hands' on the wheels at work. Sure they can know some stuff but they're also usually the first in line for 'it ain't killed me yet' when it comes to safety sometimes too.

  • @AirbornChaos

    @AirbornChaos

    5 ай бұрын

    I regularly teach Scouts, "Safety rules aren't written in stone; They're written in blood."

  • @lairdcummings9092

    @lairdcummings9092

    5 ай бұрын

    @@krissteel4074 "Tribal Knowledge" - Unofficial *unexamined* processes based on experience. If a process is useful, *get it documented* - don't just wing it.

  • @mikeholmstrom1899

    @mikeholmstrom1899

    5 ай бұрын

    The Trump Administration wanted to axe the USCSB.

  • @krissteel4074

    @krissteel4074

    5 ай бұрын

    @@lairdcummings9092 I worked in engineering as operations for 15 years with the last 5 as a process writer, so I've written a few 'books' as such on how to do things- mostly working at heights, enclosed spaces, radiation hazards, high power, DC power systems, laser and optical systems, chemical and gas fire suppression etc- All the way through to driving off road, hurricanes, floods, bushfires, security, terror threats, what to do when someone steals an armoured vehicle and runs over your stuff :) Thing is, at least in engineering stuff changes over time. Equipment and materials change, their weight, volume and output is sometimes higher. Which means its just not a static environment for people to work in, maybe it will be for 5 years and then things get changed so you've got to make sure that people know a laser isn't 5W anymore, its 15 and will go through your hand or they moved something around in a site layout which means your sensors will need to be calibrated to detect properly. Plus I'm always of the opinion that you can improve things to reduce risk Like having kids cleaning underneath operating looms was considered once an acceptable risk, as was tower climbing and iron working without a harness was also completely fine if it meant productivity was kept as high as possible. Productivity and pressure to fix or complete things on time is still one of the most dangerous things in the workplace of 'I don't care what you smell, get in there and crank that thing over in the corner' means not putting on a mask or eye protection. Maybe you get lucky sometimes, but getting lucky isn't a skill. Its nice to have but its still not right. I hope everyone has a safe and happy new year, all the best for 2024

  • @feliciajohn1169
    @feliciajohn11695 ай бұрын

    My friend is a chemical engineer. I told her of your channel in university and it scared the shit out of her. Her first shift at work at a refinery in Dubai she texted me "balls" 😂

  • @AttilaAsztalos

    @AttilaAsztalos

    5 ай бұрын

    "In Dubai" would be enough to scare me shitless. The rest is entirely redundant.

  • @thewhitefalcon8539

    @thewhitefalcon8539

    4 ай бұрын

    ​@@AttilaAsztalosin Dubai they'll put the shit back in!

  • @membranealpha5961

    @membranealpha5961

    Ай бұрын

    @@thewhitefalcon8539 in dubai they'll make you put the shit back in yourself

  • @TraTranc
    @TraTranc5 ай бұрын

    _"Come with me, and you'll be... in a world of OSHA violations..."_

  • @rileymilan

    @rileymilan

    Ай бұрын

    😂 I came here with the intention of expressing a similar sentiment, but in my heart of hearts, I already knew it had been stated 💯

  • @TheGelasiaBlythe
    @TheGelasiaBlythe5 ай бұрын

    I work in a Level II biohazard lab, and I still feel safer than people in these places! You have to have trained folks who know *exactly* what they're doing and - more importantly - WHY they're doing it. Also, it helps to state the consequences, in gruesome detail, of what happens when the protocols are not followed to the letter at all times.

  • @bluejedi723

    @bluejedi723

    5 ай бұрын

    I work in HR for a level 2 biohazard lab. Been through the training your talking about. The company I work for is 10000000000% MAJOR ASSHOLE about every single step is followed. Because one simple "oops" = big nasty crisis.

  • @TheGelasiaBlythe

    @TheGelasiaBlythe

    5 ай бұрын

    @@bluejedi723 You get it. No cut corners. Cut corners cut lives short.

  • @thedyingtitan1247

    @thedyingtitan1247

    5 ай бұрын

    @@TheGelasiaBlythe”not only will this kill you this will be the most excruciatingly painful experience for the rest of your life.”

  • @bluejedi723

    @bluejedi723

    5 ай бұрын

    I've watched one of my bosses (VP of HR) literally lose his shit over a new employee doing a step out of order. Granted it was only his 4th day of training and first time doing the precheck 100% on his own before putting his biosuit on. I don't blame him. A step down out of order means he can carry a deadly something outside the lab. This is why we have strict training, checks, The guy did pass and he did catch on quickly. Recently we tracked down a case of listera that caused the deaths of 5 people because the stores milkshake machine was not cleaned properly- the store industrial dishwasher was only heating the water up to 110 degrees, not the 140-165 degrees as it should have been.@@TheGelasiaBlythe

  • @the_expidition427

    @the_expidition427

    5 ай бұрын

    @@bluejedi723 It's great it's not a level 4 with CDC research funding in China

  • @felipecardoza9967
    @felipecardoza99675 ай бұрын

    The Plainly Difficult Bingo Card should be standard kit with all CSB, OSHA, and all other pertinent personell.

  • @PlainlyDifficult

    @PlainlyDifficult

    5 ай бұрын

    That would be good! I might add HSE and RAIB

  • @cyrex686
    @cyrex6865 ай бұрын

    For the disaster BINGO, can I add: Temporary fix becomes permanent Bypassed safety system Constant alarm disabled Operators don't understand reason behind guideline, ignore it

  • @Eviltower101

    @Eviltower101

    3 ай бұрын

    Temporary fix becomes permanent definitely needs added on there.

  • @DarkcoffeeGodot

    @DarkcoffeeGodot

    Ай бұрын

    The free spot has to be "Runaway unregulated capitalism"

  • @richardbell7678
    @richardbell76785 ай бұрын

    The bit about the company being fined and put under probation reminded me that, in Canada, penalties can be assigned to company officers, because of the Westray Mine Disaster. Have you looked into that disaster? Given that it changed Canadian law to include criminal penalties for health and safety violations, it deserves a good looking into. Before Westray, Canadian companies cared about safety for nebulous reasons like employee retention and workmen's compensation premiums. After Westray, Canadian corporate officers cared about safety to keep their asses out of prison. Basically, the safety violations at the Westray Mine were so egregious that when people realized that nobody was going to jail for them, the occupational health and safety laws were rewritten to add criminal penalties.

  • @murraystewartj

    @murraystewartj

    5 ай бұрын

    I remember going to a party with my ex, and one of her colleagues, a nurse, had a brother who was killed at Westray. He's still down there and she said it was hard to say what was worse - not getting his body back or the lies that the Westray management spun to try to evade responsibility.

  • @thewhitefalcon8539

    @thewhitefalcon8539

    4 ай бұрын

    Will never happen in USA

  • @richardbell7678

    @richardbell7678

    4 ай бұрын

    @@thewhitefalcon8539 Given what was required to get it into Canadian law, I hope that you are right. US zoning laws are better designed and enforced than those in India, so a Bhopal-like incident is unlikely to have the same consequences as the actual Bhopal incident.

  • @thejudgmentalcat
    @thejudgmentalcat5 ай бұрын

    Ah, Dupont...the wayward child of chemical disasters 😢

  • @monkofdarktimes

    @monkofdarktimes

    5 ай бұрын

    You mean the lover of chemicals

  • @hgbugalou

    @hgbugalou

    5 ай бұрын

    I mean, it kind of comes with the territory. We complain about these companies yet use their products everyday (or products derived from their chemicals). Worker safety needs to be constantly evaluated, but these things are inevitable to make the world we live in function.

  • @Bacopa68

    @Bacopa68

    5 ай бұрын

    But they are the US govt's oldest military contractor. They started out making gunpowder and mortar bombs.

  • @Tindometari

    @Tindometari

    5 ай бұрын

    To be fair, DuPont's business model has always been to place itself on the leading edge in working with extremely hazardous chemicals and industrial processes. Anybody who makes a living riding that bleeding edge is going to discover all the less-obvious hazards of the work and become a poster child for Tombstone Technology. It's the inherent nature of the beast.

  • @djscottdog1

    @djscottdog1

    5 ай бұрын

    Not defending them but world wide chemical companys are infinitely more likely to have accidents

  • @edwarddiekhoff859
    @edwarddiekhoff8595 ай бұрын

    The disaster bingo card would actually be a useful training tool.

  • @worawatli8952
    @worawatli89525 ай бұрын

    Saw this on @USCSB official KZread channel before, highly recommended if you are interest in industrial accidents and investigation, the production quality is top notch. Seeing this again explained in more simplified terms by John is nice.

  • @firstnamelastname6216

    @firstnamelastname6216

    5 ай бұрын

    Pretty sure I saw the exact video you're describing... I thought I recognized some similarities. 👍✌️

  • @worawatli8952

    @worawatli8952

    5 ай бұрын

    @@firstnamelastname6216 Other of their video with explosion 3D render are insane, they made it for the report and were graphically accurate of how debris landed.

  • @richardbell7678

    @richardbell7678

    5 ай бұрын

    The USCSB channel is a source of very good safety related videos and the only fault is that not enough people watch and pay attention. The poster child of this issue is that they have two videos that are almost identical, except that they are about two separate incidents at two separate facilities spaced a few years apart. If management at the second plant had seen the first video and asked themselves if their equipment had the same vulnerability, there would not have been the second video, but that is hardly the CSB's fault. Both sites ran the same process through similar equipment and experienced the same hardware failure resulting in very similar explosions and fires.

  • @worawatli8952

    @worawatli8952

    5 ай бұрын

    @@richardbell7678 I used to work in a small workshop as designer and production lead, the most serious chemical I had came across at work was two part poly-urethane, we used so much of them for coating and the owner was just didn't give a thought on PPE enforcement, or handling of chemical, my colleague got sick from fumes so many times, I never because I always wear gas mask, I quit three years ago, I hope the place shut down. rofl So many problems in management. Some business owner only care about cost saving and never give a damn about workers' livelihood.

  • @Amaroq64

    @Amaroq64

    5 ай бұрын

    Yeah, it's an 8 year old video too.

  • @syrthdr09sybr34
    @syrthdr09sybr345 ай бұрын

    Every factory I have ever worked at has been plagued with bad practices and implied operating procedures that were very different from the official written SOPs. In pretty much all of those companies you were shown an official training video, but once you actually started on-the-job training they showed you the unofficial "quick" way to do things. Needless to say workers get pressured to save time by taking short cuts.

  • @dianecripps204

    @dianecripps204

    5 ай бұрын

    That has been my experience, lots of irresponsibility and lack of understanding. Which is why I wonder how nuclear power can ever be trusted.

  • @syrthdr09sybr34

    @syrthdr09sybr34

    5 ай бұрын

    @@dianecripps204That's a good point, and imo it cannot. That's why something bad happens ever so often, and the bad part is you get shunned for trying to do things properly.

  • @nukeputin420

    @nukeputin420

    5 ай бұрын

    ​@@dianecripps204Capitalism's race-to-the-bottom is incompatible with the risks of nuclear power. Same with healthcare, education...

  • @Curt_Sampson

    @Curt_Sampson

    5 ай бұрын

    @@dianecripps204 Over the entire lifecycle, nuclear power kills and injures _far_ fewer people than generating power via fossil fuels, and is much better for the environment as well. One of the reasons for this is because there's a lot more focus on safety in nuclear power because it's perceived as more dangerous. (Though, again, if you look at the safety records of the nuclear power chain versus the coal power chain, it's clear that the coal power chain is far less safe.) It's kind of like air travel: a not insignificant number of people fear flying, but don't don't fear driving their own car, despite the fact that the latter is much more likely to injure or kill them.

  • @luca.652

    @luca.652

    5 ай бұрын

    ​@@dianecripps204 with nuclear powerplants they are way more diligent and trained than most other places. I recommend looking up power plant tours if you're interested, it's very cool.

  • @atypicalmotorcycle752
    @atypicalmotorcycle7525 ай бұрын

    Another excellent video. As a Millwright (industrial mechanic), I've worked in a broad variety of industrial facilities, from chocolate factories to mines. I really enjoy the acumen with which you analyze these events. Of all the facilities I've worked on, pulp mills seem to present the fullest menue of industrial hazards. In 1987, in Antioch, California, a recovery boiler explosion that killed 3 and broke the windows in houses miles away highlighted the extreme risk these particular, very specialized, and massive mechanisms pose. I think a "Plainly Difficult " examination of this event would benefit from your incisive examination. Please feel free to inquire if I may be of assistance in your research.

  • @janemiettinen5176

    @janemiettinen5176

    5 ай бұрын

    You got my vote, as a Finn, from the land of paper mills.

  • @peejay1981

    @peejay1981

    5 ай бұрын

    I've heard stories from people who work in pulp mills, having to deal with dry steam and the like. Sounds like a good thing not to screw up!

  • @mjmooney6530

    @mjmooney6530

    5 ай бұрын

    Understanding how things work/don’t work is paramount to safety. Decades ago, we had a guest speaker on our safety day that had been burned by a black liquor release.

  • @frednone
    @frednone5 ай бұрын

    You need to remember that insecticides are halfway to nerve gas.

  • @thewhitefalcon8539

    @thewhitefalcon8539

    4 ай бұрын

    Methyl mercaptan, though, seems to be used commonly in chemical plants

  • @cadillacdeville5828
    @cadillacdeville58285 ай бұрын

    Chemical factories and safety violations NEVER end well together.

  • @ltournay
    @ltournay5 ай бұрын

    Hello, love your videos, if you are looking for an industrial disaster topic, in Belgium in ghislenguin in 2004, workers ruptured a gas duct while using heavy machinery on an industrila construction site, causing 24 dead and 124 wounded, my father worked for cegelec back then, another industrial construction firm, I remember that it affected him, and the story was a shockwave across belgium, i remember it as a constant on the news during primary school

  • @Kboyer36
    @Kboyer365 ай бұрын

    You should do a video on the DuPont C8 Scandal. People living near that plant are still dealing with the side effects of this.

  • @clearcreek69

    @clearcreek69

    5 ай бұрын

    Dark Waters is a great movie

  • @BGTech1

    @BGTech1

    5 ай бұрын

    DuPoint is an evil company

  • @thewhitefalcon8539

    @thewhitefalcon8539

    4 ай бұрын

    ​@@BGTech1all companies are evil

  • @djchaiwallah
    @djchaiwallah5 ай бұрын

    You say working at a teddy bear shop is safe until you hear about The Great Teddy Bear Disaster of 1877

  • @tncorgi92

    @tncorgi92

    5 ай бұрын

    That sounded crazy enough to have been a real thing, I had to check Google and Wikipedia just in case.😅

  • @djchaiwallah

    @djchaiwallah

    5 ай бұрын

    @@tncorgi92 I do what I can 😉

  • @RCAvhstape

    @RCAvhstape

    5 ай бұрын

    Sounds like a The History Guy episode.

  • @tncorgi92

    @tncorgi92

    5 ай бұрын

    @@RCAvhstape That it does. If I knew my history better I might have remembered that the Teddy Bear was named after President Teddy Roosevelt who didn't take office until 1901.

  • @CatMom-uw9jl

    @CatMom-uw9jl

    5 ай бұрын

    It was terrible! People wading through floods of fake fur and stuffing, slipping on button eyes. And it led to the Great Teddy Bear Shortage at Christmas that year. People had to buy creepy dolls instead. Some of those dolls are still lurking in attics and the back corners of antique shops, waiting for new victims.

  • @mattropolis7857
    @mattropolis78575 ай бұрын

    The study of disasters of all types is fascinating and saves lives. It’s almost never just one failure, it’s almost always a chain of failures - usually culminating in worker ignorance of the forces they are working with. Which tells us safety features definitely save lives, but without an educated workforce with a safety mindset - even the most ‘safe’ systems will kill people.

  • @Twitch0331
    @Twitch03315 ай бұрын

    I work in IT as a network administrator for a steel fabrication company. We fabricate the steel for skyscrapers and other huge structures. Big stuff. It's definitely a place that will kill or maim you in many ways if you're not paying attention.

  • @PieManGood1

    @PieManGood1

    5 ай бұрын

    Very true, J.

  • @-suphur

    @-suphur

    5 ай бұрын

    I've worked underground in the hard rock mining industry for decades. I remember someone telling once me the you are the softest thing down there, everything else is rock or metal. I would still rather work there than a chemical plant.

  • @melissaharris3389

    @melissaharris3389

    5 ай бұрын

    Working in an obviously dangerous environment like around hot liquid metal or surrounded but tons of rock under the Earth tends to make people constantly cognizant of the danger they're in; while chemical plants where the danger is mostly invisible and abstract make those working their less likely to be constantly on alert. The human mind has difficulty with abstracted danger from something that doesn't exist naturally like raw chemical processing on an industrial scale.

  • @zyllos0072

    @zyllos0072

    5 ай бұрын

    I work in a tire manufacturing plant, many moving parts that have one job, to operate as a machine. Dangerous industries but if you're sharp minded and have a good head on your shoulders the threat isn't thay great.

  • @DaleDix

    @DaleDix

    4 ай бұрын

    I worked in a supermarket then I retired.

  • @-Bill.
    @-Bill.5 ай бұрын

    I don't know... working retail makes leaping off the side of the parking garage a lot more enticing. I'd personally rank working at Build-a-Bear at much more hazardous than a Dupont plant. Dealing with entitled customers really amplifies "the call of the void."

  • @melissaharris3389

    @melissaharris3389

    5 ай бұрын

    By shear statistics, retail workers are more likely to be assulted than a chemical worker is to be involved in an industrial accident. It says a lot when it's actually safer, statistically, to work in a dangerous industry then with the general public.

  • @nukeputin420

    @nukeputin420

    5 ай бұрын

    ​@@melissaharris3389 This is also why pizza delivery drivers have a more dangerous job than cops

  • @meatbleed

    @meatbleed

    29 күн бұрын

    ​@@melissaharris3389that's just how probability works. If you never interact with strangers at work, you won't have the same risks as retail. But operating a register isn't dangerous

  • @cuddlepaws4423
    @cuddlepaws44235 ай бұрын

    My husband did temporary work for Dupont and the product was Tyvek. This is a breathable roofing membrane. He was talking to one of the staff in the technical department, and they told him that the product Tyvek came about as a result of a laboratory explosion. What was left behind were hundreds of very thin, very long threads, like fishing line. They found a way to create it minus the explosion and discovered it let water vapour out but stopped water from getting in, i.e. breathable. Hence, a new product was born.

  • @soldiermedic7694
    @soldiermedic76945 ай бұрын

    Well done, as always! One of my favorite channels (along with your music project, love the melancholy yet chill vibes). I’m a huge hazmat nerd, and this stuff is stellar. I appreciate the level of detail, and the bits of humor interspersed through most videos, along with the respect shown for those who have unfortunately died/become injured or ill. A neat thing to do if you ever find yourself in southeast Texas: take a drive along State Highway 225 in the Deer Park/La Porte area and State Highway 146 in Texas City. You can smell and taste the stink of petrochemical processing when the wind blows the right way. The collective complexes in the Deer Park/La Porte vicinity make up the world’s second largest petrochemical processing site (if I recall correctly). As well as seeing the ominous profile of Whelen omnidirectional and Federal Signal electromechanical sirens mounted every so often to warn you of impending doom.

  • @PlainlyDifficult

    @PlainlyDifficult

    5 ай бұрын

    Thank you!

  • @kriscook2423

    @kriscook2423

    5 ай бұрын

    When I was a child we'd go through South Charleston, WV, often and I always remembered this one place that smelled like laundry soap followed by an awful smell, I used to call it the Rotten Egg Plant and my mom would just laugh. We eventually got so used to it we'd just roll up the car windows before we got near it and roll em back down after. The bad smell was a Union Carbide plant and it's next door neighbor produced truck cleaning detergent by the tanker truck load. Weird combination. Place still smells like a really bad detergent.

  • @stephanieparker1250
    @stephanieparker12505 ай бұрын

    I remember when I first learned of how Texas has HUGE areas dedicated to chemical plants.. I can’t even imagine living in those areas, must be terrifying.

  • @davidpawson7393

    @davidpawson7393

    5 ай бұрын

    If they're dedicated to chemical plants.... Yeah, you're not supposed to live there. Maybe where land is dedicated to living and upwind.

  • @stephanieparker1250

    @stephanieparker1250

    5 ай бұрын

    @@davidpawson7393 there are many towns around the plants, that’s where the workers mainly live. Much of those towns were there first with the plants moving in, expanding after.

  • @stephanieparker1250

    @stephanieparker1250

    5 ай бұрын

    @@davidpawson7393 anyway, 20 miles away is still too close. The shit they make at those plants is terrifying.

  • @darthkarl99

    @darthkarl99

    5 ай бұрын

    @@stephanieparker1250 Fun fact, one of the precursor chemicals used in at least one route of producing Viagra is Mustard Gas, a WW1 chemical weapon.

  • @aprilmorris4588
    @aprilmorris45885 ай бұрын

    I watched that CSB video and you did a great job breaking it down, John. It still stuns me that this kind of company-wide incompetence still happens. Yet, here we are. I hope to see you make some more docs on what the CSB comes up with. One last point: the CSB can do investigations and recommendations, but it's the governments that have to make those into requirements instead of recommendations.

  • @Kanbei11

    @Kanbei11

    5 ай бұрын

    There are no real consequences for company incompetence as we've seen time and time again on this channel

  • @1992marigold
    @1992marigold5 ай бұрын

    I love the disaster bingo card. Please keep using it. Besides DuPont lets not forget Dow.

  • @ronharmsen8466
    @ronharmsen84665 ай бұрын

    Another interesting PD episode. Thanks John. I grew in the 80s not far from LA Porte, Texas. When driving towards that city you will smell all the noxious chemicals for miles around before you visually see the massive chemical plants out there. I can't imagine being anyone that lives close to the chemical plants. 🤢🤢🤢

  • @CallMeMeepMeIfYouWannaReachMe

    @CallMeMeepMeIfYouWannaReachMe

    5 ай бұрын

    I grew up there. We had to do "shelter in place" sometimes while at school. A chemical plant released something potentially harmful so no one was allowed to go outside for x amount of time. It had the same energy as a friend who went to school near a primate research center and they occasionally had announcements saying some of them escaped from the facility and not to go near them if they spot one. Just another day 🤪

  • @tmappe

    @tmappe

    5 ай бұрын

    I grew up around that area and some of my family are still employed by the chemical companies. Texas City, La Porte, and almost all of Pasadena. I agree you can’t escape the smell and sight of the huge tanks and racks and columns flaring off. Crazy how people live so close to them.

  • @Truckngirl
    @Truckngirl5 ай бұрын

    The Chemical Safety Board is vital. It's hard to believe that a particular president wanted to do away with it. It's just as important as the NTSB.

  • @lillyclarity9699
    @lillyclarity96995 ай бұрын

    dear Plainly Difficult, I've been an avid fan for quite a few years at this point (I want to say, 3 years? possibly closer to 4 even) Yours is the best channel that handles "disaster content," mostly I think because of the lack of sensationalization to achieve a "horror"-like feeling in the final product, but also due to your high level of commitment to research as well as the originality & humor of your writing. I'm writing this comment to request that you take a look at the 1926 Picatinny Arsenal explosion in New Jersey, USA. It's an event I've been wanting you to make for years at this point, and I must admit, I'm a little worried you might never look at it in detail, so I wanted to ask formally for you to make a video on the subject. It's not the easiest thing to learn about, probably something due to the fact that it was a US military accident, investigated by the US military, and they aren't the greatest entity to trust being able to investigate themselves truthfully - but hopefully you can still find enough for a short video on it and the cause, as well as aftermath and politics, of the disaster. Regardless of if you humor my selfish request, I'll still be a faithful watcher of your content and eventually, should my financial situation improve beyond "perpetual near-homelessness," I do plan on becoming a Patron of your work one day. Thanks for reading and I hope you continue to find it rewarding to make these videos for all of us - I know that it's probably far more than just I who find your videos professional in quality as well as respectful to the disasters you cover.

  • @davidtraynor8075
    @davidtraynor80755 ай бұрын

    I thought stuff didn't stick to Dupont... Jesting aside, such a shame for those workers who misplaced their trust in their employers.

  • @chronic_payne5669

    @chronic_payne5669

    5 ай бұрын

    Misplaced their trust in their employer? Why are you blaming the victims and not the chemical plant?

  • @davidtraynor8075

    @davidtraynor8075

    5 ай бұрын

    @chronic_payne5669 the workers ie, the victims, placed their trust in their employers ie the chemical plant. What part are you missing?

  • @demiancrtr

    @demiancrtr

    5 ай бұрын

    USCSB has quite a fee videos of their onvestigations into dupont. Shits fucked

  • @scrambledmandible

    @scrambledmandible

    5 ай бұрын

    @​davidtraynor8075 Hm, that IS a good language question though. What, exactly, does it mean to misplace one's trust? This question goes to anyone involved in this thread past and present. Not just the meaning de facto, but also de juro

  • @Epic_C

    @Epic_C

    5 ай бұрын

    @@chronic_payne5669The victims (the employees) misplaced their trust in their employer (Dupont chemical plant). What did you not get?

  • @Captain_Draco
    @Captain_Draco5 ай бұрын

    They should have rejected delivery of the shipment. Just like a construction site rejecting delivery of improperly mixed concrete.

  • @987kestrel
    @987kestrel5 ай бұрын

    You forgot to add "Alarms turned off" on that card.

  • @rogerp6903
    @rogerp69035 ай бұрын

    Those Dupont folks really enjoy playing with dangerous chemicals! Thanks and happy gas free new year to you!

  • @zvosburg0991
    @zvosburg09915 ай бұрын

    Imagine a Dupont plant in FL. 😬

  • @samuelplyler1511
    @samuelplyler15115 ай бұрын

    There is one insecticide that I used to get for around the house that is no longer made as it was to easy to poison yourself with it as not only would it soak in through the skin but the fumes were also rather toxic before water was mixed with it in order to spray it. It worked well but I did poison myself with it once. had to explain to my doctor over the phone what happened and what symptomes I had, and had my mother watching me to make sure I was fine till the evening as rushing me to the doctor would not do much and I just had to feel the ill effects of the minor poisoning for a couple days. Since it was such a minor poisoning I luckily was at little risk of death but just shows that even when you are careful you can make a tiny mistake with bad results.

  • @DreadnThis
    @DreadnThis5 ай бұрын

    Did you just assume the threat level of a retail job?! HAVE YOU WORKED IN AN AMERICAN WALMART DURING BLACK FRIDAY!?

  • @bertbaker7067
    @bertbaker70675 ай бұрын

    Soldier in a war zone is probably in the middle of the spectrum, at least in US Army, most dangerous is lumberjack and commercial fisherman. Great video, thanks for sharing!

  • @laurigardner6227

    @laurigardner6227

    5 ай бұрын

    In the U.S., pizza delivery person is high on the list of people to be killed

  • @amberkat8147

    @amberkat8147

    4 ай бұрын

    I think one of the electrician that works on the big lines is also really dangerous, because they could fall and/or be electrocuted. And the people who go up on the big antennae fall to their deaths too.

  • @bertbaker7067

    @bertbaker7067

    4 ай бұрын

    @@amberkat8147 you ain't lying. I don't know the statistics, but I wouldn't be surprised if being an electrical lineman was high on the list. Working as a tower climber/technician is very dangerous and apparently lax safety regulations have lead to a lot of deaths. There's a really good documentary called Cell Tower Deaths on KZread i highly recommend, if you're interested.

  • @macaylacayton2915
    @macaylacayton29155 ай бұрын

    I’m soon graduating from college with an associates in biotechnology, pharmaceutical lab techniques. All I will say is proper personal protection equipment(or PPE) is vital! It’s used in various places for various reasons, pharmaceutical wise it’s to prevent contamination from your body, thus without we could get contaminated batches but it can also used in situations like in this video in pharmaceuticals too, less common I’ll give you that but does occur. PPE is very damn important, this should help highlight that fact.

  • @claireway-6545
    @claireway-65455 ай бұрын

    Thanks John for another great year. Loving the Bingo card! Best wishes for 2024 and beyond.

  • @heathdetweilerRealtor
    @heathdetweilerRealtor5 ай бұрын

    We’ve got a Du Pont plant where I live in NC. They’ve been dumping chemicals for decades, poisoning the water table and who knows how many people.

  • @erik_dk842

    @erik_dk842

    5 ай бұрын

    But think about all the jobs.

  • @PneumaticFrog

    @PneumaticFrog

    5 ай бұрын

    ​@erik_dk842 well, they could just I don't know... not dump the chemicals? Thus funding more jobs via chemical removal Then again they'd probably fuck that up also

  • @dianecripps204

    @dianecripps204

    5 ай бұрын

    Yeah, it's horrible.

  • @erik_dk842

    @erik_dk842

    5 ай бұрын

    @@PneumaticFrog Tongue in cheek. But remember Erin Brockovich?

  • @angelachouinard4581

    @angelachouinard4581

    5 ай бұрын

    Is it the one they built to make C8 after 3M decided it was too toxic to make anymore?

  • @gunnardannehl372
    @gunnardannehl3725 ай бұрын

    Very interesting to watch. As a studied chemist (but never worked really in the industry) i am always baffled about the really poor safety standards overall. Maybe it was the bet to turn to another profession in the end ;-)

  • @nukeputin420

    @nukeputin420

    5 ай бұрын

    I have over a decade in the industry. The experience you have greatly depends on which sector you work in, be it pharma, petrochemical, etc.

  • @bend8353
    @bend83535 ай бұрын

    The USCSB has some amazing videos on youtube. They don't post often but they are really high quality!

  • @tim3172

    @tim3172

    5 ай бұрын

    They don't post often because they were defunded by the Trump... "administration". They're working on a huge backlog after being restored in 2021.

  • @lairdcummings9092
    @lairdcummings90925 ай бұрын

    Local Processes, 'tribal knowledge' *(undocumented* local processes), and expedient 'solutions' are ridiculously dangerous. ALWAYS ask for external review of any local or 'temporary' process deviations. Train EVERYONE to the necessary standards - And check that your standards are correct. (SUBSAFE and QC-qualified - Safety systemology written in the blood of dead sailors.)

  • @ItsJustLisa
    @ItsJustLisa5 ай бұрын

    I remember this. My dad lives in Galveston and was the legal guardian for the daughter of a friend who died from cancer. This happened when G was a junior in high school and she used to play basketball against teams from around Houston including the high school in LaPorte (on the east side of the Houston metro area). I’m sure the kids at that school had or knew kids who had relationships with the men who died.

  • @Ryarios
    @Ryarios5 ай бұрын

    Safety was highly valued at DuPont. In fact, it was so valuable to them that they locked it away in the company vault…

  • @tomdixon7264
    @tomdixon72645 ай бұрын

    One of the DuPonts managed to blow themselves up in a failed attempt to stop a Nitroglycerine reaction at one of their plants back in the 1800's. Times never change.

  • @hillaryg4yle
    @hillaryg4yle5 ай бұрын

    Okay but why did I just have so much fun playing bingo with this? 😅I got a bingo in the final column: the workers ignored the warning signs when they smelled the mercaptan.

  • @ricks5756
    @ricks57565 ай бұрын

    The 1996 Pennzoil refinery explosion, in Rouseville PA, killed far more people. With the exception of plastics refining, oil refining is the most hazardous environments I have ever worked maintenance projects at. The 3rd most dangerous for maintenance projects are active steel plants.

  • @5h4d0w5l1f3

    @5h4d0w5l1f3

    5 ай бұрын

    I don't think the point of this video is how many people died.

  • @ricks5756

    @ricks5756

    5 ай бұрын

    The narrator made a big deal about the ( relatively small ) causality count. In my own experience, there are many maintenance projects that have a higher death count, but none of it is reported by the media due to 'lack of public interest'. @@5h4d0w5l1f3

  • @paulsillanpaa8268
    @paulsillanpaa82685 ай бұрын

    Damn. Accidents involving toxic gas are probably the most unnerving. Even if there's a smell to detect (and here the smell wouldn't have stood out), by the time you notice it you're already breathing it in...

  • @Mk5mod0
    @Mk5mod03 ай бұрын

    The USCSB channel is amazing, I've been watching them for years now! And this is the crossover I needed in my life

  • @marcpleggeproduction
    @marcpleggeproduction5 ай бұрын

    As a former EMT and current maintenance guy I plan on not coming home every day, just in case I actually don't. Imo everyone should, you never know when a car accident or worse could happen.

  • @CallMeMeepMeIfYouWannaReachMe
    @CallMeMeepMeIfYouWannaReachMe5 ай бұрын

    Holy crap that's my hometown. I lived out of state at the time so I didn't know it happened. How wild

  • @Tindometari
    @Tindometari5 ай бұрын

    I am so pleased to be part of a community that shares a love of the USCSB. I wonder how it goes when USCSB staff meet the fans. I don't imagine that chemical engineers are generally accustomed to that. 😁

  • @Invisibleman7
    @Invisibleman75 ай бұрын

    Enjoyed this as always. Happy New year John and your family

  • @lshea761
    @lshea7615 ай бұрын

    Love the videos! My favorite part is always at the end. When you give the weather report, fantastic and unique tagline! Keep up the good work.

  • @everyusernameistakenomfg
    @everyusernameistakenomfg5 ай бұрын

    Haven't watched yet but I'm sure to be intrigued as usual! Have a good day Mr. Plainly Difficult

  • @Neopolitan183
    @Neopolitan1835 ай бұрын

    Thank you for yet again another great video! I love these mini-documentaries you do. You handle these issues so delicately and with respect, with the moments of light humour or criticism where needed. Absolutely loved the idea of a bingo card - it really shows just how common these issues are. I'm convinced that when things go wrong, it's due to human error, and this video agreed.

  • @wanjockey
    @wanjockey5 ай бұрын

    Thanks John for the video. Happy New Year Brother.

  • @monkeyboythe3rd
    @monkeyboythe3rd4 ай бұрын

    It’s like two of my favourite programmes do a crossover episode. A great vid, thank you.

  • @TheeSlickShady
    @TheeSlickShady4 ай бұрын

    I learn a lot from the videos on this channel Thank you so much 🏆

  • @c.1916
    @c.19163 ай бұрын

    I must have missed this one! Great to see you cover this one, it's my favorite of the official USCSB videos as well. Very complex processes, very unfortunate result.

  • @steamfire
    @steamfire2 ай бұрын

    Thanks! One of my favorite channels, your tone, writing and delivery are lovely.

  • @PlainlyDifficult

    @PlainlyDifficult

    2 ай бұрын

    Thank you!!

  • @Mirkon177
    @Mirkon1775 ай бұрын

    I'm always happy when you upload a new video! Plainly Difficult is one of my absolute favorite YT-channels! I also like your music and especially the KI-videos which are stunning! I'd love to see you do a story about the Forst Zinna railway disaster of 1988 in the former GDR where a train hit a tank of the Soviet Army! Greetings to London from the former GDR!!!

  • @PlainlyDifficult

    @PlainlyDifficult

    5 ай бұрын

    Thanks for the suggestion ill look into it!

  • @Mirkon177

    @Mirkon177

    5 ай бұрын

    @@PlainlyDifficult Thank you for all the high quality entertainment and education! (and your awesome british sense of humor)! Cheers!

  • @cryptidseafog
    @cryptidseafog5 ай бұрын

    I've been a fan for a few years now, and I've never been this early before! hell yeah. Thank you for everything you do man ^^

  • @Milcom34
    @Milcom345 ай бұрын

    Thanks PD. Another Interesting Video. *****HAPPY NEW YEAR******

  • @chris_is_here_oh_no
    @chris_is_here_oh_no5 ай бұрын

    Fascinating documentary, great research!

  • @ForbiddenMagic
    @ForbiddenMagic5 ай бұрын

    CSB has it's own u-tube channel USCSB which is really good! Really detailed high budget animations. Good for binge watching... No bingo cards tho :P

  • @Tindometari

    @Tindometari

    5 ай бұрын

    Also a great narrator -- if anyone ever makes a documentary of my life, I want that guy narrating it. 😁

  • @MTGeomancer
    @MTGeomancer5 ай бұрын

    The CSB produces a bunch of safety videos where they walk through disasters/accidents, how they happened, and how to prevent them so they can be used as training tools. A lot of them are posted here on youtube. Great to watch as their direct from the source.

  • @barryallenflash1
    @barryallenflash15 ай бұрын

    Thanks John for another thorough video! Mental note-one place NOT to work...Dupont. Happy New Year to ya!

  • @caustic1611
    @caustic16115 ай бұрын

    Happy New Year, Mr. Plainly!

  • @Drmcclung
    @Drmcclung5 ай бұрын

    I live 12 miles away from this plant - I'm from around there, believe me when I say this accident was a baby.. child's play, a fender bender compared to other accidents that have happened around here. I've had my windows blown out a few times in my lifetime from several Pasadena sites blowing up, two of them from the same plant exactly 10 years apart. Can't count the number of times we've been evacuated over chemical leaks, happens all the time. There's enough fatal accident & incident in and around the Pasadena/La Porte area to keep your channel going for a whole year exclusively to the area 😂

  • @efnissien
    @efnissien5 ай бұрын

    I worked at a place several years ago that had an atrocious safety record, nearly every second person had lost at least one finger. Ironically it made children's toys (I won't say what, as it may identify the company). It wasn't helped by the low recruiting standards they had - I honestly stood fuckstruck as one particularly stupid guy discussed the merits of the compensation for losing a finger and musing how much he'd get for a hand. I used to remove the pedal operating switches and replace them with twin push button at the start of every shift . I was going to cut the cables for the pedal switches to stop staff re-installing them, but was told "until head office approves it, it's a no go." That was until one unfortunate lady lost her right little finger (and a chunk of her hand) on her first day at work. Then I was told "yeah, about that trashing the pedals..." More than 20 years later, in my current job, I'm still a Nazi about safety, and I regularly annoy management with my rants (on one self congratulatory poster advertising 'There were 1771 maintenance & safety issues highlighted this quarter' somebody had scribbled underneath one "E******* must be getting soft in his old age!"- HR wanted it replaced, I laughed my bollocks off and insisted it stay.

  • @josephsager9425
    @josephsager94255 ай бұрын

    Honey, the new CSB Video dropped! I love these!

  • @Terensu-desu
    @Terensu-desu5 ай бұрын

    Got a chuckle out of the bingo card. Love the idea. And you're almost at 1 million subscribers! Incredible job!

  • @TheMichigami
    @TheMichigami5 ай бұрын

    the video just starts and it's dupont, and out of habit i sigh and wince because yeah, of course. Dupont and safety are like oil and water. They had a materials testing and research facility in the mountains near where I grew up for decades, we would regularly get surprise clouds of bluish-white or grayish-white fog that smelled like chlorine bleach filling the entire valley outside the place, and the fish caught nearby tasted like lighter fluid. they ignored all the complaints about sick kids and eldery breathing problems, and fish dying off downstream from their facility. place finally closed not long after the game commission and some epa thing got after em for basically poisoning half the brokenwall area and making the fish and deer sick, no one cared about all the sick humans downstream and around the valley before then, the wildlife mattered more.

  • @Screwball70
    @Screwball705 ай бұрын

    I worked at Monsanto uk making herbicide and our plant made some dangerous shortcuts but some of the synth rubber plants, shiiiiit there were some bad accidents especially in reactor areas, plenty of fires and explosions, one plant used to leak chlorine gas regularly.

  • @alankeith7866
    @alankeith78665 ай бұрын

    Happy New Year's John!!!

  • @austinbutts3000
    @austinbutts30005 ай бұрын

    Methyl mercaptan is a common odorant for natural gas to give the otherwise odorless gas a distinctive smell. But the concentrations are limited to not be a danger to one's health. Toxicity is all about dosage and concentration.

  • @MoonLitChild

    @MoonLitChild

    5 ай бұрын

    I thought it was familiar!

  • @Ruairi.C
    @Ruairi.C5 ай бұрын

    Well done John, another good video. Everyone deserves to go home to their family, sadly some don't. Unfortunately I get reminded on a near daily basis of those who don't get to go home. Live life and love your family.

  • @thedevilinthecircuit1414
    @thedevilinthecircuit14145 ай бұрын

    Easily Preventable, and Warning Signs Ignored are also on my PD Bingo Card. Cheers, John!

  • @hexane360
    @hexane3605 ай бұрын

    Again, loving the in-video citations! Also, I enjoyed the bingo card. It would be fun to go through your past videos and find which hit the most squares...

  • @matthewrowe9903
    @matthewrowe99035 ай бұрын

    The CSB videos are a fantastic resource

  • @TheFarmacySeedsNetwork
    @TheFarmacySeedsNetwork5 ай бұрын

    Thanks for another great video!

  • @ruthstevens8805
    @ruthstevens88055 ай бұрын

    Love the bingo card! Happy New Year to you and yours.

  • @MoodusOperandi
    @MoodusOperandi5 ай бұрын

    The disaster bingo for when I do some home cooking is very similar to this one 😂

  • @amandagreen4332
    @amandagreen43325 ай бұрын

    DuPont has four arms- quite appropriate for a chemical company with such a sketchy safety record!

  • @bair1212
    @bair12125 ай бұрын

    Thank you. It is a rare consideration of content providers to allot a specific time for your ad placement rather than having the ads randomly appear at the most inconvenient time. It's the little things that matter.

  • @maxhill7065
    @maxhill70655 ай бұрын

    How do they not even have active atmospheric gas detection or a networked ManDown system linked to personal gas monitors? Jesus

  • @Menoetia
    @Menoetia5 ай бұрын

    I saw the title and immediately knew which events this referred to. 😬 I've watched the CSB's own videos about them and it's a constant reminder to me that safety rules are there to keep you from being unalived at work, even if you work relatively mundane jobs like I do.

  • @ClimateScepticSceptic-ub2rg
    @ClimateScepticSceptic-ub2rg5 ай бұрын

    I was trying to work out how many bingo spots were covered by Chernobyl. All of them and then some. You left out 'given an impossible task by senior management'.

  • @mistyblues6762
    @mistyblues67625 ай бұрын

    Thanks for another interesting video

  • @Screamblade_
    @Screamblade_5 ай бұрын

    Always with the interesting videos! Thank you for such! Hope you have had a good XMAS and New Years (Upcoming)

  • @gmlover82
    @gmlover82Ай бұрын

    I remember when this happened. We in the city next to La Porte, Deer Park. We knew something was up, you could hear plant alarms and the smell was awful across our town . Really sad, friend of mine knew two of the people who died.

  • @annbjorn
    @annbjorn5 ай бұрын

    Great presentation

  • @Arterexius
    @Arterexius5 ай бұрын

    DuPont and Union Carbide are just the expected names to hear, when it comes to chemical disasters

  • @FTWson
    @FTWson5 ай бұрын

    Plainly Difficult/John when he's hurrying through his script and speaking quickly: "Third floor" Plainly Difficult/John when he's taking his time and speaking slowly: "Fir 4"

  • @urbansnipe
    @urbansnipe5 ай бұрын

    you should make a video about the carlsberg brewery accident in northampton england that was a chemical mishap and very unexpected when i first heard it on the news