Another Big Fine, $3,042,000, Issued to BP
Under a pair of 50/50 joint ventures with Husky Energy, BP operates the 91-year old Toledo Refinery near Toledo, Ohio, that processes crude from Canadian oil sands into gasoline and other products.
Per-instance fines are part of a $3,042,000 fine against BP Products North America Inc. and BP-Husky Refining LLC in connection with 42 alleged willful violations and 20 alleged serious violations, including failing to provide adequate pressure relief for process units, OSHA announced Monday. The 585-acre refinery in Oregon, Ohio, just east of the city of Toledo, has operated continuously since 1919 and currently has the capacity to process 160,000 barrels of crude oil daily from Canadian oil sands. BP operates the facility under a pair of 50/50 joint ventures with Husky Energy that were finalized in 2008, according to BP's description of the facility, which says about 600 BP employees and 500 to 700 contract workers are employed there.
OSHA said it has inspected this refinery a dozen times since 1991. These fines stem from an inspection that began in September 2009 as part of the OSHA Refinery National Emphasis Program and as a follow-up to a 2006 inspection and a 2007 settlement agreement between OSHA and BP at this refinery. "Although the 2009 inspection found that BP had complied with the settlement agreement, OSHA found numerous violations at the plant not previously covered by the agreement," according to OSHA.
"OSHA has found that BP often ignored or severely delayed fixing known hazards in its refineries," Secretary of Labor Hilda L. Solis said in a statement. "There is no excuse for taking chances with people's lives. BP must fix the hazards now."