It hasn’t been the best year for BP. This week, the company agreed to pay the single largest penalty in OSHA history for safety violations.
BP agreed to pay the Occupational Safety and Health Administration about $50.6 million in penalties for safety violations at its Texas City refinery. The fines relate to an explosion at the refinery in 2005 that killed 15 workers. BP has also agreed to invest approximately $500 million in upgrading safety programs at the Texas City refinery.
OSHA investigations had revealed that the Texas City refinery occurred because a piece of equipment filled with inflammable liquid hydrocarbons. Not only that, alarm systems that should have warned workers of the situation, malfunctioned and did not go off. The company continues to contest about $30 million in additional fines that OSHA wants to impose on it. BP had initially contested the entire amount, before agreeing to pay the $50 million. With this fine, BT has bested its own record of $21 million in fines that OSHA had levied against it.
Federal authorities aren’t mincing words in their opinion of BP. According to Labor Secretary Hilda Solis, the size of the penalty “reflects BPs disregard for public safety.” OSHA insists that BP continued to commit hundreds of safety violations at the Texas City refinery, even after the deadly blast.
The Texas City refinery has been a symbol of BP’s reckless disregard for safety processes. The oil company is facing a multibillion dollar class-action lawsuit relating to the release of dangerous chemicals, including benzene, from the refinery over a 40-day period. Over that period of time, approximately 17,000 pounds of benzene were released into the Texas City atmosphere. The Texas City benzene exposure lawyers at our Houston personal injury law firm are currently answering questions from Texas City residents who may have been exposed to the dangerous pollutants.
Vuk Vujasinovic is a Houston work accident lawyer, representing injured victims of workplace and industrial accidents around Texas and nationwide.
Image Courtesy: Flickr – Libelul
Vuk Vujasinovic is a Board Certified Houston personal injury attorney who practices Houston auto accident and other personal injury cases.
For more info on how Vuk can help you with your potential case please call him at (877) 724-7800 or fill out the contact form on the right.
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