“Despite committing to OSHA that it would eliminate serious hazards, Case Farms continues to endanger the safety and health of its workers”.
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Cal/OSHA department director Christine Baker was quoted by the Los Angeles Times as saying that companies like ExxonMobil have a “responsibility to keep workers safe” and the company had “severe lapses” in its safety protocols.
The U.S. Department of Labor Occupational Safety and Health Administration said an investigation found that Lifefleet LLC did not properly protect employees who transport patients from exposure to blood and other bodily fluids.
Exxon Mobil is examining the citations stemming from the February 18 explosion.
“We are reviewing the citations to determine the appropriate administrative and legal next steps”, said Exxon spokesman Todd Spitler.
Cal-OSHA said Thursday that 18 of the 19 citations are classified as serious because the violations could potentially cause serious injury or death.
Cal/OSHA officials said eight workers were decontaminated after the blast, and four were hospitalized with minor injuries. The order remains in effect.
OSHA also noted that the company management already knew that the electrostatic precipitator could turn into an explosion during a flammable vapor leakage. It was also reported that the FCC unit had malfunctioning records for more than nine years before the blast. Monitoring of hydrocarbon pressure buildup was also rendered impossible by the fact that that there was no functional pressure transmitter.
That misstep led to the explosion, said Clyde Trombettas, statewide manager and policy advisor for Cal/OSHA’s Process Safety Management Unit. Health and safety standards enforced by the PSM Unit, including adequate employee training, are intended to prevent catastrophic explosions, fires and releases of risky chemicals.
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.
Exxon Mobil has repaired the errors.
“In this market”, Schremp said, “with Exxon Mobil Torrance still being down, the whole market is much more constrained”. Cal/OSHA has investigated ExxonMobil’s Torrance facility twice in the last five years for accident-related incidents that resulted in serious workplace injuries in 2011.
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Only one involved the fluid catalytic cracker unit. The company failed to train workers about hazardous workplace chemicals, and did not review and update the exposure control plan annually. In March 2011, the company was cited for exit access and storage hazards at its 238 Captain Thomas Blvd. store in West Haven.
