Industrial Valve Failure Lawsuits
Industrial valves control everything from steam and chemicals to oil and pressurized gases in manufacturing plants, refineries, and processing facilities across the country. When these critical components fail, the results can be absolutely devastating. Workers suffer severe burns, chemical exposure, crushing injuries, and worse—often in the blink of an eye.
Why Industrial Valves Fail and Cause Serious Harm
Valves operate under extreme conditions that most people never see or think about. They regulate substances at temperatures exceeding 1,000 degrees, pressures that could tear through steel, and chemical concentrations that would dissolve human tissue on contact. A single valve failure can release catastrophic force in an instant.
Maintenance neglect stands out as one of the most common causes of valve failures. Companies that skip scheduled inspections, ignore warning signs of wear, or delay necessary repairs are gambling with workers’ lives. Corroded valve bodies, worn seals, and degraded gaskets eventually give way, often without warning.
Improper installation creates time bombs waiting to explode. When valves aren’t torqued correctly, aligned properly, or matched to the right application, they’re destined to fail. A valve rated for 500 PSI that’s installed in a 1500 PSI system isn’t a cost-saving measure—it’s a disaster waiting to happen.
Design defects from manufacturers put workers at risk even when everything else is done correctly. Flawed engineering, substandard materials, or inadequate testing mean some valves fail regardless of how well they’re maintained or installed. These product defects have caused countless injuries that never should have occurred.
Industrial valve failures and accidents involving faulty valves can lead to catastrophic worker injury and wrongful workplace deaths. Industrial explosions and fires are often caused by valve failure, and the majority of valve accidents are caused by with defective valves or human errors.
The Lyon Firm works with industry experts and OSHA officials in the fields of manufacturing, oil and gas, fracking, food production, and agriculture to determine the root cause of workplace accidents. Each individual industrial accident will require an investigation before a personal injury lawsuit can be filed.
Joe Lyon is a highly-rated Industrial Accident Attorney representing victims of valve failure injury and workplace accidents.
The Devastating Injuries Valve Failures Cause
Steam burns represent some of the most agonizing injuries imaginable. When a valve controlling superheated steam fails, workers nearby suffer third-degree burns across large portions of their bodies. These injuries require months of hospitalization, multiple surgeries, skin grafts, and often leave permanent disfigurement and disability.
Chemical exposure from valve failures can destroy lungs, burn skin away, and cause long-term organ damage. Workers who inhale toxic fumes or get splashed with corrosive chemicals face medical battles that last years. Some chemicals cause damage that doesn’t appear immediately but manifests as cancer or organ failure down the road.
Pressure-related injuries occur when valves rupture and release forces equivalent to explosions. The shock waves can rupture eardrums, cause internal injuries, and throw workers against equipment or walls. Flying debris from exploded valves strikes workers with deadly force, causing traumatic brain injuries, lost limbs, and penetrating wounds.
Crush injuries happen when large valves fail catastrophically and fall or when workers are caught between equipment during emergency responses to valve failures. These accidents destroy bones, sever limbs, and create complex injuries requiring extensive reconstruction.
High-pressure valves are particular hazardous if they not designed properly. A high pressure valve can regulate the flow of gases or liquids, and are used in refineries, factories, paper and pulp facilities, oil and gas sites, and water treatment plants.
The Lyon Firm has seen industrial accidents caused by a myriad of safety violations, negligent management, and other preventable workplace issues, including:
- Faulty Valves
- Wrong valve used for specific applications
- Improper pressure valve PSI
- Wrong sized valve
- Poor access to safety release mechanisms
- Poor valve maintenance
- Supervisor miscommunication
- Operator errors
- Lack of worker training
Defective Valve Accidents
Up to 70 percent of accidents in the oil and gas industry are attributed to preventable human errors, which can be caused by worker fatigue, lack of training and management creating unsafe working conditions.
Other industrial accidents, like the BP Deepwater Horizon catastrophe in 2010, were caused by defective components-in that case a faulty valve called a blowout preventer.
In many reported valve accidents, the valve was wrongly selected, and did not meet the proper requirements of the application. Poor engineering and management can lead to industrial worker injury.
In every industry, the best way to prevent valve failure is to select the right valve for the given application and working conditions. After installation, all equipment must be inspected regularly to ensure the safety of the workplace.
Valves have been installed upside down or facing the wrong direction. There should be the proper distance from a pipe elbow to a valve. Seals must be inspected and maintained as well. Management should be looking for the following:
- Temperatures and pressures within operating parameters
- Unexpected pressure spikes
- Foreign materials in a pipeline
- Material incompatibility
- Incorrect assembly
Industrial Accident Lawsuits
If there are valve failures and workplace safety issues related to valve failure, management must correct the problem before workers are endangered. Pipelines may have be dissembled and repaired.
A valve may need to be replaced, even if an entire system must be shut down for a day or longer. Management may gamble with poor maintenance procedures to save time and money, but that only makes a valve accident more likely.
With the advent of digital valve technology and control systems software, management is tasked with operating both hardware and technology in a safe manner. The technology can make a job more efficient, though employees cannot completely rely on only the digital readings. Manual supervision is still encouraged to prevent valve failures.
Digital valve technology allows employers to detect issues faster, though some have been criticized for placing too much reliance on the technology. Employers have been warned by safety agencies against merely “screen-reading” in control rooms, which may not tell the whole story of a system failure issue.
Compensation for Valve Failure Victims
Serious valve failure injuries generate enormous costs that extend throughout your lifetime. Medical expenses include emergency treatment, specialized burn care, reconstructive surgeries, physical therapy, psychological counseling, and ongoing treatment for permanent conditions. These costs often reach into the millions for catastrophic injuries.
Lost income compensation covers immediate wage loss during recovery, but the bigger issue is lost earning capacity. If your injuries prevent returning to industrial work—or any work at all—you deserve compensation for every dollar you would have earned throughout your career.
Pain and suffering damages recognize that severe injuries destroy your quality of life. Chronic pain, disfigurement, disability, and the emotional trauma of surviving a catastrophic accident all warrant significant compensation beyond medical bills and lost wages.
ABOUT THE LYON FIRM
Joseph Lyon has 17 years of experience representing individuals in complex litigation matters. He has represented individuals in every state against many of the largest companies in the world.
The Firm focuses on single-event civil cases and class actions involving corporate neglect & fraud, toxic exposure, product defects & recalls, medical malpractice, and invasion of privacy.
NO COST UNLESS WE WIN
The Firm offers contingency fees, advancing all costs of the litigation, and accepting the full financial risk, allowing our clients full access to the legal system while reducing the financial stress while they focus on their healthcare and financial needs.
How Do We Build Your Case?
Establishing liability after a valve failure requires thorough investigation and expert analysis. Our team examines maintenance records to identify whether the company followed manufacturer recommendations and industry standards. Gaps in preventive maintenance or ignored inspection findings become powerful evidence of negligence.
We work with metallurgists and engineers who can determine why a valve failed. Was it metal fatigue from years of stress? Corrosion that should have been detected? A manufacturing defect? Understanding the technical cause helps identify who’s responsible—the employer, the maintenance contractor, or the valve manufacturer.
Witness testimony from coworkers who saw the accident or knew about problems with the valve provides crucial context. Workers often report having voiced concerns about equipment before failures occur, establishing that management knew about hazards and did nothing.
Industry standards and regulations create benchmarks for what companies should be doing. When valve maintenance falls short of OSHA requirements, API standards, or manufacturer specifications, it demonstrates clear negligence that strengthens your case.