LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- The U.S. Chemical Safety Board has released an update on its investigation into the deadly Givaudan plant explosion in Louisville back in November.
According to the board's latest report, released last Thursday, problems at the plant started around 2 p.m. Nov. 12, the day of the explosion, when a cooking vessel started to over-pressurize.
The pressure relief valve was opened, the report said, and pressure decreased and maintained its normal levels for 16 minutes.
The report cites process data indicating the vent valve of the vessel was commanded to fully open at 2:40 p.m. Investigators said the purpose of that was to reduce pressure. But the pressure continued to rise even after that command.
In an attempt to get the pressure and temperature down, workers added cooling water to the coils of the vessel at 2:49 p.m. However, both continued to rise until the pressure relief valve was opened at 2:54 p.m., temporarily reducing the pressure.
But the temperature and pressure continued to rise until it was too late and the cooker exploded at 2:57 p.m.
"I'm very fortunate," Jeremy Jones, a resident who lives near the plant, said Tuesday. "They only injured the back of my garage. My windows went ahead and went in, didn't shatter or anything like that."
Following the explosion, investigators found the cooker's automated vent valve was almost fully closed.
Investigators noted that before the explosion, the maximum temperature on the vessel was 385 degrees Fahrenheit, which they said was 30 degrees above the "maximum allowable working temperature" of 355 degrees. The maximum pressure before the explosion was 237 psig, more than three times the maximum of 75 psig.
Chemical Safety Board officials said that valve and the actuator of the vessel, which creates the movement that powers it, are the focus of their investigation moving forward.
Days after the explosion, investigators cited a cooking vessel failure as the cause of the explosion at Givaudan Sense Colour plant in Louisville's Clifton neighborhood.
Two people were killed in the explosion and 11 others were injured. In the aftermath, neighbors have expressed frustration over the lack of answers from the company and lawsuits have mounted.
The family of Keven Dawson Jr., one of the two men killed in the explosion, sued the company and hired nationally recognized trial lawyer Ben Crump, as well as Mark Lanier and Lonita Baker.
A couple who lives a few doors down from the plant and were home at the time of the explosion filed a lawsuit for physical pain and suffering, loss of income, future repairs of their damaged home and emotional distress. The suit claimed the company was negligent in its operation and failed to inspect and maintain equipment and should have known the risk of an explosion.
Another lawsuit accusing Givaudan of negligence claimed evacuated properties near the plant were burglarized.
The company has said it plans to demolish the building and move out of that area. Neighbors have dealt with the noise from the demo, but hope it will be quiet when the company is no longer there.
"Every once in a while I get aggravated at the sound, and that's gonna be gone and then it'll be nice peaceful nights," Jones said.
Givaudan Plant Explosion Coverage:
- Clifton neighbors still fighting for answers in aftermath of Louisville's Givaudan plant explosion
- Criminal charges could apply to inspection failure before fatal Louisville plant explosion, official says
- IMAGES | Crews begin demolition at Givaudan site in Louisville's Clifton neighborhood
- Givaudan won't rebuild in Louisville's Clifton neighborhood after plant explosion
- Givaudan plant explosion contaminated Beargrass Creek with 'corn syrup blend,' officials say
- Residents demand answers, accountability from Givaudan leaders after Louisville plant explosion
- Clifton neighborhood residents remain displaced more than a month after Givaudan plant explosion
- A month after Givaudan explosion, Clifton residents struggle with aftermath as lawsuits mount
- Neighbors of Givaudan plant in Louisville file lawsuit over explosion that damaged homes
- Cooking vessel failure cited as cause of Louisville plant explosion
- Attorney Ben Crump to represent family of man killed in Louisville plant explosion
Copyright 2025 WDRB Media. All Rights Reserved.
