A U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration investigation of the Ohio poultry processing facility operated by Case Farms Processing Inc. found that the company was aware of the dangers, but continued to expose workers to serious and potentially fatal injuries.
The agency reported in its news release that 18 of its 19 citations were “serious”, as the accident could have resulted in multiple injuries or deaths.
“We are told by industry analysts to expect a lot of volatility in local gas prices through the fall as Southern California refineries continue to rely on imports to supply enough gasoline to the area”, spokesman Jeffrey Spring said.
ExxonMobil, which has 15 days to appeal to the Occupational Safety and Health Appeals Board, was found to have failed to eliminate known hazardous conditions and to comply with California’s safety standards, which likely resulted in the refinery’s workers being injured.
The hydrocarbon release caused the electrostatic precipitator to explode. Eight workers were decontaminated after the incident, and four were sent to hospitals for treatment of minor injuries. It said management knew of potential fire or explosion hazards as a result of the leakage, and failed to correct the danger.
Cal/OSHA’s investigation concluded that a 2007 safety review uncovered concerns about flammable vapor leakage in the electrostatic precipitator.
The fluid catalytic cracker unit “had not been working properly for as many as nine years prior to the incident”, CAL/OSHA said. Exxon Mobil was unable to monitor hydrocarbon pressure buildup in the unit because there was no functional pressure transmitter, according to Cal/OSHA.
Not until after the explosion did CAL/OSHA order ExxonMobil not to use that unit.
There was no written operating procedure for placing the FCC unit in hot standby, which is a state between startup and shutdown that can be compared to working on an idling vehicle. The order remains in effect until ExxonMobil can demonstrate the unit is safe to operate.
After the 2011 workplace accidents, the authorities have examined Exxon’s refinery facility twice.
In 2011, a worker suffered a fractured jaw and lost six teeth when a pump exploded in the fluid catalytic cracker unit.
The other accident occurred in September 2011.
However, follow up inspections led to the issuance of citations on May 28 for one willful violation, four repeat violations, one serious violation, and one other-than-serious violation.
The explosion and a fire at a Chevron refinery in the Bay Area has prompted calls for improvements in oil refinery regulation.
