1 Worker Dies After Chemical Exposure at Geismar Plant (Updated)

UPDATED STORY (Tuesday, October 19): WBRZ reports one of the two workers hospitalized following exposure to chemicals at a plant in Geismar has died.

The deceased man worked for Zachry Group, who released the following statement confirming his death:

We can confirm that one of the two employees injured in Friday’s incident has passed away. Zero incidents for our employees is always the goal. Zachry Group is committed to ensuring the health and safety of our employees, as well as the communities in which we operate. We express our sincere condolences to our employee’s family and are saddened by this loss."

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ORIGINAL STORY (Friday, October 15): What was at first thought to be a chemical fire is being referred to as an incident as two workers at a chemical plant in Geismar were hospitalized on Friday.

That's according to WBRZ, who also report that a hazmat team was called to the BASF plant along River Road. The company itself denied it was a fire but instead exposure to chemicals that caused the incident.

BASF issued the following statement to WBRZ:

Today at approximately 11:30 am, two contractors working outside one of our production areas at the Geismar, LA site were potentially exposed to an inert substance while performing maintenance work. They were immediately treated onsite by primary first responders and then transported to a local hospital for further treatment. There was no offsite impact or additional exposure onsite. BASF is investigating the incident.

BASF regards protection of health, safety and the environment as our most important responsibility. We care about our employees and we care about our communities. We are committed to operating facilities in a safe and environmentally responsible fashion.

We will continue to provide updates when they are provided.