Nippon Dynawave Packaging to Challenge Fine After Near-Engulfment

A worker at a Longview, Washington, pulp mill was nearly engulfed in seven feet of hot liquid in March, an incident that led to a $77,800 fine against Nippon Dynawave Packaging. The company has announced plans to appeal the penalty issued by the Washington Department of Labor and Industries.

The accident occurred when a valve was left open, causing pulp to spill from a tank. The worker waded through thick liquid that reached 145 degrees Fahrenheit. The fluid was up to his thighs as he attempted to shut the valve and stop the flow. While doing so, he fell into an unseen sinkhole that the gushing pulp had eroded into the ground. The hole was four feet deep, placing him in a pool of pulp that stood seven feet high.

Inspection records show the worker told regulators he thought, “I’m not going to make it back.” He survived by finding a foothold on the side of the sinkhole and climbing to the surface. An unnamed company spokesperson stated by email that the firm takes all workplace incidents seriously. The spokesperson confirmed a full internal investigation was conducted and corrective action was taken, noting that no one was injured in the March 2026 event.

Labor and Industries cited the mill for exposing the worker to serious thermal and engulfment hazards. The agency also found the company lacked a formal program for inspecting and maintaining pipes that carried dangerously hot pulp. Managers told the department that similar spills occurred at the Longview mill every couple of months.

This near-miss happened two months before a larger disaster at the same facility. A spill of caustic white liquor killed 11 workers and injured eight others. State and federal agencies are still investigating that event, which is considered the state’s worst industrial accident in nearly a century.

In a preliminary finding issued in August, the U.S. Chemical Safety Board determined that Nippon Dynawave ignored warnings for nearly a year. The warnings indicated that a 1.2-million-gallon white liquor tank was no longer fit for service before it imploded. The Washington Department of Labor and Industries has since broadened its inquiries to include chemical use and storage at ten pulp mills across the state.