Safety Body Uncovers 146 Violations In 17 Refineries, $896,500 Proposed

Washington, DC (AHN) - A review of 17 oil refineries in a dozen states by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration yielded 146 violations. Majority of the violations were potentially life-threatening. The 17 is a small portion of 81 U.S. refineries on the OSHA list.

At the Total Petrochemicals refinery in Port Arthur, the OSHA discovered 11 violations, 45 at another plant in Canton, Ohio and 19 at a Kansas facility. Eight months of inspections have resulted to a proposed $896,300 in penalties on violating oil firms.

The OHSA says Frontier El Dorado Refining in Kansas built a permanent occupied structure on a high hazard zone and failed to address fire, explosion and chemical hazards. The facility is owned by Frontier Oil Corporation, which is disputing the fines and violations, said Doug Aron, the firm's spokesman.

At the Marathon Petroleum Company in Ohio, the OSHA discovered the pipes were not properly protected against corrosion. The firm agreed to pay the $321,500 fine. Citgo in Illinois also approved the payment of $155,250 for violations of safety regulations at its Lemont refinery, particularly potential fire hazards and poor training. In Wisconsin, the Murphy Oil USA facility on the shores of Lake Superior was found to have safety alarms not activated, prompting the OSHA to slap the firm a $179,100 fine.

Rich Fairfax, OSHA director of enforcement, told the Houston Chronicle, "Based on the data we're finding and the number of violations, (the) program will continue... I have no intention of ending it after two years based on what we're finding."

OSHA started a nationwide audit of oil refineries in 2007 to end years of deaths taking place on refineries. On March 2005, 15 died and 170 were injured at the British Petroleum's Texas City refinery.

Between 2005 to 2008, 29 workers have perished in U.S. refinery accidents. The OSHA's National Emphasis Programs targets to audit 64 more refineries within the next two years. Fairfax said they will eventually expand to include audits of chemical plants.