Wyoming’s most-fined refinery for safety violations is facing another round of penalties, this time stemming from a formal complaint and three August incidents at the facility, according to a report in the Casper Star-Tribune. The Wyoming Occupational Safety and Health Administration has proposed a $259,950 fine against the Sinclair Oil-owned Sinclair Wyoming Refinery. The fine would be the largest levied against a refinery in Wyoming in the past five years.
Wyoming oil refineries faced more citations for dangerous safety conditions per oil barrel of production capacity than those in any other state over the past five years, a Casper Star-Tribune analysis of federal data shows. Government safety inspectors tagged Wyoming refiners with 239 citations for serious, willful or repeat safety violations in 2008-2012, according to data from federal OSHA. That means Wyoming refiners were cited on an average of every eight days.
Panthera Painting Inc. of Canonsburg, Pa has been cited by OSHA for 38 alleged violations—including 14 willful and 11 repeat—found at bridge work sites in Slatington, Harrisburg and Slatedale, where workers were exposed to lead and other safety and health hazards while performing abrasive blasting and repainting projects.
Chevron gets fined a million but earns a billion; noise hazards found at both hockey arenas and foundries; Solis and LaHood step down and yet another explosion at a rural Texas oil site injures members of the public. Here are the week's top EHS-related stories as featured on ISHN.com:
The California Division of Occupational Safety & Health (Cal/OSHA) has issued 25 citations against Chevron USA, with proposed penalties totaling nearly $1 million, for state safety standard violations related to the August 6, 2012 fire at Chevron’s Richmond refinery.
OSHA has cited COL-Pump Co. Inc., with 10 health and safety violations, including two willful, for failing to monitor workers’ exposure to noise hazards above 85 decibels at the Columbiana foundry in Columbiana, Ohio, a city of about 6,300 residents. Proposed fines total $56,880, according to the Norwalk Reflector.
OSHA has issued seven notices of unsafe or unhealthful working conditions found at the Battle Creek Veterans Administration Medical Center, following a safety inspection conducted in July as part of the agency’s Federal Agency Targeting Inspection Program.
OSHA has cited COL-Pump Co. Inc., with 10 health and safety violations, including two willful, for failing to monitor workers' exposure to noise hazards above 85 decibels at the Columbiana foundry. Proposed fines total $56,880.
Five out of the six safety violations issued by OSHA recently to a NJ contractor were repeat ones involving fall and scaffolding hazards while employees were applying stucco to a commercial building in Westwood, N.J.
OSHA has added Pandrol USA in Bridgeport, NJ to its Severe Violator Enforcement Program (SVEP) after the company was cited for 25 safety and health violations – including three willful. Proposed penalties total $283,500.