St. Gabriel plant faulted for slow fixes before worker death

Four months before a worker at Mexichem Fluor Inc. died from a chemical exposure, state regulators threatened to fine the St. Gabriel plant for taking too long to fix safety problems found in 2019 by its own inspectors, a state notice says.

The problems at Mexichem Fluor, which were later resolved before the worker's death, revolved around "process safety." The industry term encompasses a broad category of practices focused on the safe handling, processing and storage of dangerous chemicals.

The worker, Jammie Wesley, 37, a Brusly father of three, died at an area hospital after an accidental exposure Tuesday morning to a chemical state that regulators identified as hydrofluoric acid. It's a "severe systemic toxin" absorbed quickly through the skin that attacks the bones, blood and other