DSM Reports Fatal Accident at Capua Site in Italy

The accident occurred during regular maintenance activities in one of the two fermentation units, normally used to manufacture food ingredients and enzymes. Activities at the fermentation facility where the accident happened have been suspended.

Sep 13 2010 --- On Saturday 11 September, a fatal accident took place at the site of DSM in Capua, in which three contractors lost their lives. The accident occurred while conducting regular maintenance work in the fermentation facilities. “DSM deeply regrets this tragic accident and expresses its sympathy to the victim’s families, friends and colleagues,”the company said in a statement.

The accident victims all worked for the same contracting company, which has worked at the DSM Capua site for a very long time. The three people involved in this accident were all very familiar with the site, its operations and the safety procedures. The accident occurred during regular maintenance activities in one of the two fermentation units, normally used to manufacture food ingredients and enzymes. Activities at the fermentation facility where the accident happened have been suspended. Other business activities on-site have been reduced in order to ensure a safe environment for all employees, who are all deeply touched by this tragic event.

The root cause of the accident is not yet known. DSM provides its full support to the authorities involved, facilitating the investigation. In addition, an independent DSM investigation team has been installed and has commenced their work.

The DSM Capua site currently employs about 190 people. It is the primary production site of DSM BioSolutions, part of the DSM Pharma cluster, which offers a wide range of customer services ranging from process development to large scale production, all in the field of microbial fermentation.