Chemical Plant Accidents and Explosions Surged in 2025

Undefeated Texas Plant Explosion Lawyers

What You Need to Know About Chemical Plant Explosions

Chemical plant explosions, fires, and other accidents that resulted in a chemical release jumped 51 percent nationwide between 2021 and 2025, while injuries and deaths were up 20 percent.
Workers injured in a plant explosion or accident shouldn’t count on workers’ compensation. Benefits cover only medical bills and a portion of lost wages, not pain and suffering or other damages you could recover in a personal injury lawsuit. Many Texas employers don’t even carry workers’ comp insurance.
Even if they are receiving benefits, workers can sue contractors, equipment manufacturers and other third parties if their negligence caused or contributed to their injuries. They can also sue their employer in certain situations.
Our Undefeated Plant Explosion Lawyers have recovered billions for injured workers and their families, and we consistently set records for our clients. We provide a free consultation, and our clients pay nothing unless we win their case.

Record-Setting Houston Plant Explosion Lawyers

Explosions, fires and other chemical plant accidents—along with the injuries and deaths they cause—rose dramatically in the United States last year, just as the Trump administration moved to scale back regulations intended to protect workers and communities from the threat of these often catastrophic disasters.

Our Undefeated Texas Plant Explosion Lawyers have won billions for injured workers and their families, including record-breaking verdicts and settlements in connection with the worst industrial explosions and accidents in recent history. We fight to hold every responsible party accountable, in and out of the courtroom, and we’re committed to ensuring our clients have the resources to access the best medical care available and provide for themselves and their families for the rest of their lives.

How Many Chemical Plant Disasters Were Reported in 2025?

According to an analysis of federal data recently published by non-profit Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility (Peer), industrial explosions, fires, and accidents resulting in chemical releases jumped from 83 in 2021 to 131 in 2025, a 51 percent increase.

Deaths and injuries related to those events also jumped by 20 percent, rising from 60 to 89 during the same period, and up from 73 in 2024.

“This report makes plain what communities, workers and first responders already know: chemical disasters are happening far too often, and are too often undercounted,” Marc Boom, senior director with the Environmental Protection Network, recently told The Guardian. “Many are preventable, but instead of strengthening safeguards, this EPA is trying to weaken the rules designed to stop them.”

PEER also warned that its numbers were likely low. The group’s analysis utilized data from the U.S. Chemical Safety Board, which only requires plants to file a single report within four hours of an incident and does not mandate updates as more information becomes available. Facilities also do not need to report accidents that trigger shelter-in-place or evacuation orders without a chemical release.

What is the Trump Administration Doing to Environmental Regulations?

Despite last year’s dramatic increase in chemical plant explosions and related emergencies, the Trump administration has not backed off of its crusade to undo critical environmental and safety regulations.

Under the Clean Air Act, the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Risk Management Program requires more than 12,500 high-risk facilities in the United States to implement safety programs to prevent such disasters and mitigate their consequences when they occur. The Biden administration bolstered those regulations in 2024, setting new rules that required chemical facilities to:

Adopt newer technology to prevent disasters
Put backup measures in place if the first line of defense fails
Replace hazardous chemicals with safer alternatives where possible
Consider measures like kill switches accessible to employees or automatic shut-offs if a worker is incapacitated
Plan for hurricanes, earthquakes or wildfires hitting a chemical facility

However, the EPA has moved to reverse most of the updates made during the Biden administration. It has also taken down a public website that provides communities and first responders with information about the chemicals present in these high-risk facilities.

As in the first Trump administration, there have also been repeated attempts to eliminate the Chemical Safety Board, an independent agency that investigates industrial accidents and makes safety recommendations to prevent similar disasters in the future. Although the Board has no regulatory authority and its recommendations are non-binding, industry ultimately adopts the vast majority.

Texas Chemical Plant Explosion FAQs

What Should I Do If I’m Hurt While Working at a Chemical Plant or Refinery

If you or a loved one were whie working at a chemical plant or refinery, it’s important to take immediate steps to protect your health and your legal rights. The companies at fault, their insurers, and their attorneys aren’t waiting. You can be sure that within hours of the accident, they were already working to blame you, downplay your injuries, and deny you and your family the compensation you’re owed. You need to act just as aggressively.

Go to the ER, even if you feel fine or think your injuries are minor.
Get follow-up care from a doctor of your choice, not one paid by the company.
According to Texas Labor Code § 409.001, you must report your injury to your supervisor in writing within 30 days. Keep a copy of your report.
As soon as possible, write down what you remember about the incident, even small details that might seem unimportant at the moment.
Follow up with a doctor of your choice, not one paid by your employer or the workers’ comp company.
Attend all medical and therapy appointments, take prescriptions as directed, and follow your doctor’s advice to the letter.
Keep every medical record, bill, and pay stub connected to your injury.
Compile a list of coworkers and anyone else who witnessed the incident.
Don’t let your employer or its insurer pressure you into giving a recorded statement, signing anything, or accepting a quick settlement without first talking to a lawyer.
Don’t accept any payments from the company other than your regular paycheck.
Don’t let your employer or the workers’ comp insurer push you into returning to work before you’re ready.
Limit discussion of the accident and your injuries to your attorney and your spouse. Stay off social media.

Can I Count on Workers’ Comp After a Chemical Plant Accident?

No. For one thing, Texas doesn’t require private employers to carry workers’ comp insurance, so it may not even be available. If you do receive benefits, they’ll cover your medical treatment, but only 70 percent of your average weekly wage, up to a state maximum (Texas Labor Code § 408.103). Those payments are temporary: they end once you reach maximum medical improvement or, in most cases, after 104 weeks, whether or not you can go back to work (Texas Labor Code § 408.102). After that, any income benefits you receive will depend on an impairment rating assigned by a doctor, which provides just three weeks of payments for each percentage point of impairment (Texas Labor Code § 408.121).

Workers’ comp also pays nothing for pain and suffering, mental anguish, or other damages you could pursue through a personal injury lawsuit. And in exchange for those limited benefits, employers are generally shielded from lawsuits, unless a worker was killed because of their gross negligence (Texas Labor Code § 408.001).

When Can I Sue My Employer After a Chemical Plant Accident or Explosion?

Texas workers can sue their employer for negligence if the company has opted out of the workers’ comp system. Non-subscribing employers also lose the right to assert certain defenses, including that you were partly to blame, that you knew the job was dangerous, or that a coworker caused the accident (Texas Labor Code § 406.033).

Families can sue if a loved one died on the job because of their employer’s gross negligence or intentional act, even if the family has access to workers’ comp benefits. Texas law also allows a worker’s surviving spouse and children to recover exemplary (punitive) damages in those cases (Texas Labor Code § 408.001).

Who Else Can I Sue After a Chemical Plant Accident?

Depending on the circumstances of the accident or explosion, you may have legal claims against multiple parties, including:

The plant owner or operator, if you work for a contractor or subcontractor
Maintenance, engineering, or turnaround contractors whose work contributed to the accident
The manufacturer of a defective valve, pressure relief device, sensor, alarm, or other equipment
Companies responsible for inspecting, testing, or certifying equipment
Staffing agencies or other contractors working on site at the time

If you hire our Undefeated Plant Explosion Lawyers, we’ll bring in top investigators, engineers, and accident reconstruction experts to determine exactly how the accident happened, how it could have been prevented, and who is to blame, so that we can be certain we’re pursuing every available avenue for compensation on your behalf.

What Is My Chemical Plant Accident Lawsuit Worth?

How much compensation you might be entitled to depends on how badly you were hurt and how your injuries affect your ability to work and live your life. Unlike workers’ comp, a lawsuit allows you to recover the full measure of your economic and non-economic losses: past and future medical expenses, rehabilitation, lost wages, lost benefits, lost earning capacity, mental anguish and more. If you can prove by clear and convincing evidence that a company’s gross negligence caused the accident, you may also be entitled to exemplary (punitive) damages.

How Long Do I Have to File a Work Injury Lawsuit in Texas?

In most cases, you have two years from the date of your injury to file a personal injury lawsuit, and families have two years from the date of a worker’s death to file a wrongful death lawsuit (Texas Civil Practice and Remedies Code § 16.003). Two years may sound like plenty of time, but the longer you wait to speak with a lawyer, the more likely critical evidence will disappear and witness memories will fade. It’s in your best interest to hire an experienced chemical plant accident attorney as soon as possible, so they can begin building a strong case on your behalf.

How Our Undefeated Refinery Accident Lawyers Help Our Clients Recover the Maximum Compensation Possible

The law firm you ultimately hire after a plant accident or explosion is a critically important decision, and could well determine whether you recover the maximum compensation for your injuries and losses. While many personal injury firms claim to handle cases involving chemical plant explosions and other industrial accidents, few can say they have an undefeated record, and even fewer can say they consistently set records for injured workers and their families.

Our Undefeated Chemical Plant Explosion Lawyers have successfully represented thousands of workers in Texas and throughout the United States, and we’ve recovered billions in record-breaking verdicts and settlements on their behalf:

$87.5 Million Settlement—Refinery Accident—Houston, Texas
$90 Million Settlement—Well Blowout—Burleson County, Texas (#1 largest burn settlement in U.S. history)
$100 Million settlement—Refinery Explosion
$75 Million Settlement—Refinery Explosion

Why do we consistently set records? We work longer and harder than our opponents, we understand how the chemical plant and refining industries operate, and we never agree to settle unless our clients are fully compensated for ALL their injuries and damages. We also begin preparing every case for trial from day one, so that if the company fails to negotiate in good faith, we’ll be ready for court—where none of our attorneys have ever been defeated.

Undefeated Plant Explosion Lawyers: Call 1-888-603-3636 For a Free Consult

Our Undefeated Texas Plant Explosion Lawyers know what it takes to win against the largest refining and petrochemical companies in the world, and we’re ready to use that knowledge to ensure you and your family receive the maximum compensation possible for all your injuries and losses.

Call 1-888-603-3636, use the “chat” button on our homepage, or click here to send us a confidential email through our “Contact Us” form.

All consultations are free, and you won’t owe us a penny unless we win your case.