Full Breakdown
Deadly Tank Collapse Highlights Long-standing Safety Issues at Nippon Dynawave Plant in Longview, Washington
9/5/2026, 4:08:20 AM
The May 2024 Catastrophe
On May 26, 2024, a storage tank containing caustic “white liquor” at Nippon Dynawave Packaging Co.’s pulp-mill complex in Longview, Washington, ruptured, releasing a massive plume of the chemical and killing 11 workers. State inspectors had scheduled interviews with plant employees for that day, but the collapse interrupted the planned inspection. The U.S. Chemical Safety Board later reported that the company was aware the tank was “not fit for continued service” yet continued to use it.
Record of Violations and Prior Incidents
Government records reviewed by the Associated Press show a pattern of safety and environmental problems at the site. Since 2016, the Washington State Department of Ecology issued 54 violation notices and fined the company $41,500 for eight serious infractions. The Department of Labor and Industries investigated more than a dozen safety complaints since 2018, issuing nearly $7,000 in fines. Workers’-compensation payouts total over $2.4 million for 169 employees injured since 2015, including injuries from caustic exposure.
The plant has also experienced multiple chemical releases: eight methyl mercaptan incidents between 2017 and 2023 (reported to the EPA’s National Response Center), a 2024 sulfur-dioxide fine of $4,500, a 2020 black-liquor spill of roughly 250,000 gallons, a 2021 white-liquor leak of about 3,000 gallons, and a 2023 fire linked to aging conveyor-belt equipment. An April 9, 2024 sinkhole incident left a worker submerged in hot stock for 35-40 seconds, prompting further Labor and Industries scrutiny.
Regulatory and Legal Follow-up
Following the May collapse, state inspectors requested documentation on May 27 and postponed the employee interviews. The investigation remains open, with two new probes launched after the incident. The Department of Ecology added a 35-citation notice after the collapse.
Sheri Lynn King, mother of two of the deceased workers, has filed a wrongful-death lawsuit alleging the company failed to maintain and inspect equipment, to train and supervise staff, and to implement adequate safety and emergency procedures.
Nippon Dynawave spokesperson Sam Jefferies declined to comment on the maintenance record, stating the company is cooperating with regulators as the investigation proceeds.
Expert Assessment
Chemical-engineering professor Stephen Kmiotek of Worcester Polytechnic Institute, who has tracked the case, described the series of equipment failures and safety violations as a “red flag” indicating inadequate maintenance and heightened risk to employees and the public.
Ongoing Oversight
State investigators continue to seek records and conduct interviews, while federal agencies monitor potential toxic-chemical releases. The plant’s future operations remain uncertain pending the outcomes of the multiple investigations and the pending civil lawsuit.
