Chemical Tank Oversight Measure Floated after Fatal Implosion

chemical tank

Washington State Sen. Jeff Wilson announced he will introduce legislation in the January 2027 session creating state oversight of above-ground chemical storage tanks after a tank collapse at Nippon Dynawave Packaging Co.’s Longview paper mill killed 11 workers and injured eight others in May.
Nearly 900,000 gallons of scalding, corrosive “white liquor” spilled when the tank ruptured. A U.S. Chemical Safety Board report from August found the tank’s condition had been flagged as unsafe three times since October 2025 by a contractor hired by Nippon, who warned it was “not fit for continued service” and faced a “high likelihood” of failure.
Above-ground chemical tanks at paper mills and other industries currently fall outside state regulation in Washington, with companies responsible for self-inspecting and self-certifying their own equipment. Wilson said his bill would shift inspection and certification duties to a state agency such as the Washington State Department of Ecology, with daily fines of up to $5,000 for noncompliant companies.
University of Washington associate professor Marissa Baker said the regulatory gap extends beyond paper mills to other industries using large above-ground chemical tanks.

A new report from New York Comptroller Tom DiNapoli found workplace injuries and illnesses statewide dropped nearly 18% over a 10-year period, falling to about 122,000 cases in 2024.
The report found that in 2024 fewer than two out of every 100 workers were injured or sickened on the job — a rate better than the national average.
Transportation and warehousing topped the list of higher-risk industries at four injuries or illnesses per 100 workers.
Couriers and messengers fared worst of all, with more than seven out of every 100 workers getting hurt or sick on the job.
DiNapoli called on high-risk industries to strengthen safety practices, saying doing so could reduce business disruptions while protecting workers’ health and lives, and noted that while overall improvements have been meaningful given the size of New York’s workforce, some industries continue to see persistently high injury and illness rates.

Four Seasons Hotel Atlanta has become one of only three hotels in the country to earn Star status through the Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s Voluntary Protection Programs, the agency’s highest level of workplace safety recognition.
The achievement followed a six-year effort that included 600 hours of training, 28 annual safety inspections and a four-day OSHA review
The hotel reported reducing its workplace injury and illness rate by 22% over a six-year effort, with a three-year total case incident rate that is 13% below the national hotel industry average, and had logged 247 consecutive days without a recordable injury when the designation was announced.
The application included more than 130 pages of injury and illness data, training records, inspection findings, emergency procedures, hazard reports and corrective actions, and OSHA’s onsite review featured property tours and confidential employee interviews.
The hotel must now complete annual self-evaluations and periodic OSHA reviews to maintain the status.