Four workers were tragically killed when an insecticide leaked into a building at DuPont’s LaPorte, Texas plant in November 2014. After two workers were overcome by toxic fumes, another responded to a distress call and was overwhelmed. His brother, too, died attempting to aid the fallen. Three others were injured.<\/p>\n
OSHA officials blasted DuPont in the strongest terms, stating<\/a> those who died \u201cwould be alive today, had their employer taken steps to protect them.\u201d Yet, just months later, the same plant was cited by OSHA for even more safety violations. Now, DuPont\u2014which with its subsidiaries has held multiple federal<\/a> contracts<\/a> over recent years totaling millions of dollars\u2014is part of a corporate coalition trying to block rules that would ensure federal contractors abide by health, safety, and labor laws.<\/p>\n President Obama’s Fair Pay and Safe Workplaces Executive Order<\/a> aims to protect hard-working Americans by requiring companies with an ongoing history of violating safety and labor standards to clean up their acts and comply with federal health and safety laws before being rewarded with taxpayer dollars. DuPont and its subsidiaries, whose history of OSHA<\/a> violations<\/a> as of January 2016 includes dozens of “Serious” citations, multiple “Repeat” and “Willful” citations, and more than $500,000 in penalties since 2013, are exhibiting exactly the type of behavior the new rules were created to discourage.<\/p>\n