Nippon Dynawave Cited After Hot Pulp Spill Exposed Worker to Sinkhole Hazard

A recurring pulp spill at Nippon Dynawave Packaging Co.’s Longview, Washington, mill became a serious exposure hazard when hot material concealed a sinkhole in the asphalt. The company faces $77,800 in fines after an employee fell into the cavity while trying to shut a tank valve, according to state workplace safety inspectors.

The incident points to a gap between knowing that spills happen and having a safe way to respond. Inspectors cited the company for failing to protect workers from hot material and engulfment hazards, and for leaving the paper machine pulp system out of a hazardous materials piping safety program. The citations connect the immediate danger on the mill floor with the procedures meant to identify and manage risks in the system.

Spill concealed a four-foot sinkhole

In April, a tank valve was unintentionally left open, allowing pulp heated to 145 degrees to flow onto the floor. The material accumulated to a depth of 3 feet and covered a sinkhole about 4 feet deep that had formed in the asphalt below. With the opening hidden under the spill, the employee could not see the full hazard while moving through the pulp.

The worker waded through the material and climbed onto piping to reach the valve and close it. On the way down, he fell into the sinkhole. Inspectors said he avoided being completely engulfed in more than 7 feet of pulp by grabbing a pipe. He eventually caught his foot on the side of the cavity and climbed out.

The scale and duration of the spill matter. Pulp flowed from the open valve for about two hours, according to the inspection account. The incident combined several hazards in one work area: heated material, a concealed drop, and a task that required an employee to enter the spill zone to reach the valve. The account does not specify the employee’s injuries or describe the material’s cleanup.

Recurring spills and valve access

Paper machine managers told inspectors that spills occurred once every couple of months and sometimes more frequently. They also said they knew workers had waded through pulp to open and close tank valves, according to the Washington State Department of Labor & Industries. That history makes the method of valve access a central issue: workers were using a familiar response to a recurring event, even though it exposed them to the material.

Management has since agreed to instruct employees not to enter pulp spill areas. The company also agreed to develop procedures and engineering controls that allow valves to be closed without exposing workers to pulp. Those changes address two parts of the problem: setting a clear boundary around the spill area and changing how the equipment can be operated during a spill.

For mill operators, the episode illustrates why a recurring event can carry risks beyond the material released. A spill can hide floor damage, interfere with access to controls, and make a familiar maintenance or shutdown task unsafe. Procedures can define what workers should do, while engineering controls can change whether someone has to enter a hazardous area to stop the flow. The company’s planned controls will determine how the valve can be reached during a future spill.

Separate mill investigations

The $77,800 case is the second of two investigations that were already open before a separate tank failure at the mill on May 26. In August, the department fined Nippon Dynawave $2,890 for failing to keep required inspection records and maintain a formal maintenance program for an ammonia tank used to treat wastewater. That investigation began in March after a worker reported a broken valve handle on the tank. The pulp spill case concerns different equipment and a separate set of hazards.

Neither investigation is related to the May tank rupture, which killed 11 workers and spilled hundreds of thousands of gallons of chemicals. The source describes that event as believed to be the deadliest industrial accident in Washington state history. Keeping the cases distinct matters for understanding the findings: the $77,800 citation concerns the pulp system and the April spill, while the ammonia tank matter concerns inspection records and maintenance practices.

After the May rupture, the department opened inspections at two other kraft pulp and paper mills: Smurfit Westrock in Longview and Port Townsend Paper Co. in Port Townsend. Those inspections cover tank maintenance, testing, operating procedures, repair records, and prior worker injuries or near misses. The department’s investigation into the fatal rupture remains open; state law requires findings within 180 days of the investigation’s opening.

Nippon Dynawave has 15 days from the citation’s issuance to appeal. The citation is available here. The company’s response to the appeal period and the development of its spill controls will shape what happens next in this case; the cited facts already show that recurring spills and unsafe access to valves were known features of mill operations.