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Facebook Twitter WhatsApp SMS Email Print Copy article link Save Occidental Chemical Corporation faces two lawsuits in connection with alleged workplace injuries at its Geismar plant, according to documents recently filed in the 23rd Judicial District Court in Ascension Parish. Both claim workers at the plant were harmed by chemicals, with one specifying "life altering" injuries to his lower extremities. They seek reimbursements for medical expenses, impairment and disfigurement, lost wages and court costs.
The company, a subsidiary of Occidental Petroleum, operates a plant in the industrial corridor of Ascension Parish. The company maintains several facilities in the state and manufactures and distributes chemicals including chlorine, hydrogen, ethylene dichloride and potassium hydroxide. Celina Cardenas, a spokesperson for the Occidental Chemical Corporation, said via email that the "safety of our workers at our facilities is our top priority and we take reports of injuries very seriously.
" She added that the company didn't have any further comment because it involved pending litigation. First suit alleges chemical burns In an August lawsuit, St. John the Baptist Parish resident Jamall Anthony claims he was exposed last year to a substance that has caused ongoing medical treatment.
Filed by his attorney, Michael Letourneau, the lawsuit alleges an “extremely caustic substance ...
ate through his personal protective equipment and caused extreme chemical burns and injuries to his feet.” According to the petition, Anthony was employed by an outside contractor while working at the plant. The lawsuit did not provide more specific information about the injuries, but claims the company’s negligence caused the alleged incident.
Meghan Smith, an attorney representing the company in the Jamall Anthony case, filed a Sept. 30 notice to move the case to district court. She did not respond to a request for comment.
Recent lawsuit references “mechanical issues” A second lawsuit, which estimated damages "far in excess of $75,000," was brought by employee John Cowart last week. Filed by his attorney, Noah Wexler, it alleges the company and four of its employees acted negligently in April 2023 when Cowart was injured by “dangerous and harmful chemicals" while working in the plant’s caustic unit. “(Cowart) sustained serious and life altering injuries to his feet, legs, and other parts of his body,” Wexler wrote.
The document added that the four named employees were managers responsible for safe operations, and it claimed the facility had “dangerous conditions” and “mechanical issues.” “The dangerous nature and manner of work being performed made it substantially certain that an incident would occur causing Plaintiff serious injuries,” Wexler added. “ .
.. Additionally, the valved where Mr.
Cowart was working at the time of the incident were unreasonably dangerous.” An online database maintained by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration showed no records of investigations concerning the alleged incidents. According to its website, employers must notify the department “when an employee is killed on the job or suffers a work-related hospitalization, amputation, or loss of an eye.
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