By JUAN A. LOZANO
Associated Press

HOUSTON (AP) - A final federal report has found that a series of failures, including flawed equipment and inadequate safeguards, helped cause a 2014 poisonous gas leak that killed four workers at a Houston-area chemical plant.

Four employees at the DuPont chemical plant in LaPorte, Texas, died in the release of methyl mercaptan - a chemical used in the manufacture of insecticide and fungicide.

The U.S. Chemical Safety Board in its report issued Tuesday said various safety management system deficiencies, including problems with troubleshooting operations, safe work practices, toxic gas detection and emergency response, contributed to the severity of the incident.

Corteva, a spinoff of DuPont's agriculture division, didn't immediately respond to emails seeking comment.

In 2016, DuPont permanently shut down the insecticide production unit where the workers died.

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