Worker killed in Pacific Steel chemical accident identified

The Pacific Steel and Recycling worker who died after being exposed to chlorine gas on August 12 was identified Monday as Edward K. Dumaw, 44. Dumaw was one of eight workers hospitalized in critical condition following the accident at Pacific Steel. Several workers remained in the hospital in the days following the leak, but all others have now been released. Workers at Pacific Steel punctured a 1-ton cylinder while crushing it for scrap metal, releasing the gas. The investigation into the incident is being handled by the Washington Department of Labor and Industries. L&I spokesman Tim Church said the agency, the Department of Ecology and Pacific Steel would be working together to determine where the cylinder came from. “Our agencies will be working with the company to try and sort that out,” he said. “It will be a group effort.” Church said investigations typically take at least four months and it’s unlikely more about the gas’s origin would be made public before then. At the end of the investigation, L&I will issue a report saying whether Pacific Steel broke any labor laws and may assess fines if violations are found. Pacific Steel was back open for business Monday after a cleanup company did a walk-through of the site Saturday, Tracy said. The last worker fatality in Washington from chlorine gas happened in 1998 after a pipe containing chlorine gas and other chemicals burst at a Moses Lake company, Church said. Two exposed workers died in that incident, Church said.