CITGO Petroleum Corp. has agreed to pay $155,250 in fines after an OSHA inspection revealed multiple violations of federal workplace safety standards at the company's Lemont, Ill., refinery.

As part of a settlement agreement with OSHA, CITGO agreed to, and has already taken, corrective action to eliminate unsafe working conditions, the agency said.

OSHA initiated a safety inspection at the facility in August 2007 in response to the agency's national emphasis program for petroleum refineries. During the inspection OSHA found that the company failed to include pressure relief system design and design bases in the process safety information, failed to document that equipment in the refining process complied with good engineering practice, and failed to develop normal operating procedures.

Additional issues addressed by CITGO were hazards found in process hazard analysis, including: potential fire hazards; development of emergency procedures; failure to follow recognized and good engineering practice for inspection and testing procedures; inadequate training and education of employees; and other violations of federal safety regulations.

CITGO Petroleum Corp. employs about 550 employees in Lemont. That facility has been inspected on two previous occasions since 1982 with a serious violation issued relating to fall protection following a November 2002 inspection.