United Steelworkers Union Unveils Report Critical of DuPont’s Safety Record at World Safety Congress
For Immediate Release
Contact: Ron Espinoza, USW Strategic Campaigns, Cell Phone: (615) 618.2771
Shawn Gilchrist, USW Strategic Campaigns, Cell Phone: (615) 364.6169
ORLANDO, FLORIDA (September 20, 2005) – United Steelworkers’ (USW) officials today unveiled a report that analyzes the DuPont corporation’s abominable health and safety record at the XVIIth World Congress on Safety and Health at Work in Orlando, Florida. The report illustrates that DuPont’s many violations and accidents are not just isolated incidents of worker failure, but establish a clear pattern of denial of corporate responsibility. When the harmful conditions that cause accidents exist, these catastrophes at DuPont plants become catastrophes for workers and the public.
Charles Holliday, Jr., Chairman and CEO of DuPont, will speak at the Congress on Wednesday, September 21.
In addition, the report discusses DuPont’s safety program, DuPont STOP, (from which DuPont earns over $100 million in revenues) a behavior-based program based on the theory that almost all injuries are caused by worker unsafe acts. Mike Wright, head of the USW Health, Safety and Environment Department said, “In contrast, the USW has tracked data on fatality investigations for 20 years. What we almost always find when we investigate catastrophic accidents, including fatalities, is that multiple root causes related to hazards and unsafe conditions, not multiple unsafe behaviors, cause the accident.”
Other key findings in the report include:
 | Violations for failure to report industrial accidents to OSHA |
| One of the “Dangerous Dozen” for putting over 9 million people at risk |
| 20 Superfund sites and thousands of sick plaintiffs |
| Number one producer of toxic dioxins in the U.S. |
| Sued by the EPA for withholding evidence showing potential harmful effects of its Teflon-chemical, C8 |
“When it comes to worker safety and protecting the environment, DuPont, does not “Walk the Talk,” said Ken Test, Chair of the USW DuPont Council. “Many of our members and retirees suffer from their exposure to dangerous chemicals that they encountered on the job during their years of loyal service. In fact, I could not think of a more inappropriate corporation to profit off the message of safety. These workers were asked to trust DuPont and now regret it.”
The USW represents 1,800 workers at six DuPont facilities. For copies of the full USW report, “Not Walking the Talk: DuPont’s Untold Safety Failures,” go to www.dupontcouncil.org
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