OSHA Voluntary Protection Program

 


Safe Workplace and Safety News

This is the safety news blog for the Safe Workplace web site. We cover safety related news with a focus on how safety, or a lack of safety, impacts employers, employees and their families. We also cover topics such as safety training, safety tools, and legal issues related to safety. For regular safety news and information enter your email address in the box above the Subscribe Me! button (then click on the button).


Monday, May 12, 2008

OSHA: Sunoco Didn't Fix Its Problems

The Toledo Blade reports in last Saturday's edition that Sunoco Inc.'s Woodville Road facility (Oregon, Ohio) was "hit with $330,000 in fines by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration this week allegedly didn't maintain paperwork and failed to fix things it knew needed attention up to six years ago, according to OSHA documents reviewed by The Blade."

The refinery was inspected last November as a part of OSHA's
National Emphasis Program for petroleum refineries that resulted from the 2005 explosion at BP's refinery in Texas City, Texas.

Read the Toledo Blade story.

The OSHA press release states:

The U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has proposed $330,000 in fines against Sunoco Inc., an oil refinery in Oregon, Ohio, for alleged willful and serious violations of federal workplace safety standards.

OSHA initiated a safety inspection at the facility in November 2007 as part of the agency's National Emphasis Program for petroleum refineries. OSHA found 27 serious violations and three willful violations during the inspection. The most critical citations issued are for hazards related to the size and design of pressure relief systems, failing to implement a mechanical integrity program for pressure relief devices and fixed equipment, and failing to correct deficiencies associated with vessel and piping wall thicknesses.

"Injuries and fatalities from incidents at refineries are preventable," said Jule Hovi, OSHA's area director in Toledo. "OSHA will not tolerate employers who ignore safety hazards that threaten the lives and well-being of their employees."

Sunoco Inc. has about 500 employees at its Oregon refinery and 13,500 employees company-wide. OSHA has inspected the site five times since 1974. The agency has inspected Sunoco-owned and operated refinery complexes, petrochemical plants and bulk terminals 34 times since 1970. The inspections have resulted in more than 100 citations.

Labels: , ,

posted by Steve Hudgik - This Safety Blog Post   |  


0 Comments:

Post a Comment

Links to this post:

Create a Link

<< Home

 

Voluntary Protection Program (VPP) Labeling Information
VPP Labeling Home - What Is VPP? - VPP Labelers - VPP Labeling Supplies - About Us