Imagine being able to get an exemption from an OSHA regulation due to who buys your product. The fertilizer plant in Texas that recently exploded, killing 15 people, may have been doing just that.
Tags: fertilizer plant explosion, OSHA, process safety management, Texas, West
“Safety is our top priority.” So said a BP executive in court testimony to determine the company’s liability for the Deepwater Horizon explosion. Where have we heard that before?
Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: BP, Deepwater Horizon, safety is our top priority, safety is our top value
A U.S. Attorney has said there’s insufficient evidence to seek criminal charges against Imperial Sugar or its executives in connection with the 2008 explosion that killed 14 workers and hospitalized 40 more. The case shows just how difficult it is to bring these sort of charges under current U.S. laws.
Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: criminal charges, Imperial Sugar explosion, intentional disregard, plain indifference, sugar dust
A report from the U.S. Chemical Safety Board (CSB) says a large explosion at Carbide Industries (CI) in Louisville, KY, that killed two workers and injured two others resulted from a failure by the company to investigate similar but smaller explosions over many years.
Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: Carbide Industries, Chemical Safety Board, explosion, furnace explosion
Chevron faces $963,200 in fines from Cal/OSHA for 25 citations in connection with the Aug. 6, 2012, fire at the company’s refinery in Richmond, CA. This is the highest penalty in Cal/OSHA’s history.
Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: Cal/OSHA, Chevron refinery fire, corroded pipe, ruptured pipe
A garment factory fire in Bangladesh has killed 112 workers. The incident bears a striking resemblance to a famous fire in the U.S. 101 years ago that kicked off the workplace safety movement in this country.
Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: Bangladesh fire, garment factory fire, Triangle Shirtwaist fire, Wal-Mart
OSHA investigated a chain of four convenience stores after a clerk at one died as result of injuries she suffered in a robbery. The robber dowsed the 76-year-old woman with a flammable liquid and set her on fire.
Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: convenience store, General Duty Clause, set on fire, workplace violence
An oil refining company has settled a case with New Mexico OSHA over a 2010 fire and explosion that killed two workers and seriously injured two others.
Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: Navajo Refining, New Mexico OSHA, Northwest Insulation of Texas, storage tank explosion
The U.S. Chemical Safety Board (CSB) has released preliminary information about a fire that destroyed part of a Chevron oil refinery in Richmond, CA. There are two potential take-aways for companies:
Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: Chemical Safety Board, Chevron fire, preventive maintenance, safety standards
OSHA has ordered an Arizona trucking company to reinstate an employee and pay him $315,000 in back wages and damages. The employee said his co-driver shouldn’t smoke while hauling explosives — a violation of federal regulations.
Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: explosives, smoking, Surface Transportation Assistance Act, whistleblower
