On a 2-1 vote, the U.S. Chemical Safety Board approved urgent safety recommendations on gas purging safety at a Feb. 4 public meeting in Raleigh, following extensive testimony and public comment.
The explosion blew out walls of the unfinished power plant and set off a fire during a test of natural gas lines.
An inspection found that the Atlanta-based company also failed to fully implement a hearing conservation program and did not have an established written hazard communication program on exposure to hazardous substances. Proposed fines exceed $135,000.
The loading dock is usually regarded as the primitive "backroom" of food-handling operations, but it's a crucial part of the supply chain and the food protection chain.
DuPont officials told the CSB that a braided steel hose connected to a 1-ton capacity phosgene tank suddenly ruptured, releasing phosgene into the air. The phosgene release followed two other accidents at the same plant the same week, including an ongoing release of chloromethane from the plant’s Hexazinone unit, which went undetected for several days, and a release from a spent sulfuric acid unit.
"There is no excuse for mine operators to deliberately flout their obligations to pay civil penalties for safety and health violations," said Joseph A. Main, assistant secretary of labor for mine safety and health.
About 4,500 employees must not engage in distracting activities on the job or risk termination by the Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority, which operates one of the nation’s busiest subway systems.
Agency inspectors found that combustible particulate solids, which were generated during trimming and repair operations, were not collected into an adequately designed dust collection system, were allowed to accumulate on machinery and surfaces, and were not adequately cleaned up to prevent such buildup.
“Today’s settlement sets the most stringent limit for sulfur dioxide emissions ever imposed on a coal-fired power plant in a federal settlement,” said Cynthia Giles, assistant administrator for EPA’s Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance.
Speakers including Congressman Edward Markey (pictured), EPA's Gina McCarthy, the National Grid's Thomas King, and others will discuss the future of the low-carbon economy in an all-day event Feb. 12 at the Boston Harbor Hotel.
The agency is conducting the two meetings in Atlanta to make it easier for families of those who perished in the 2008 Imperial Sugar Co. explosion in Port Wentworth, Ga., to attend.
"OSHA determined that this company is fully aware of the deficiencies it has in its safety program and what needs to be changed to provide safe work conditions for employees but hasn't acted to correct those deficiencies," said Roberto Sanchez, director of the agency's area office in Birmingham, Ala.
OSHA agents found workers were exposed to dangers from the company's failure to first de-energize live electrical parts before having employees work on them, resulting in the issuance of a willful citation.
"The significant fines of $683,000 cannot replace this worker's life or bring peace to the family, but they will go a long way in letting this employer know disregarding worker safety and health will not be tolerated," said OSHA chief Dr. David Michaels.
Inspections at two of the wholesaler's warehouses found damaged storage racks, unguarded moving machine parts, no auxiliary lighting for powered pallet jacks that were operating in areas where the dock lights were not in working order, and exposed energized electrical conductors, among other violations.
Attendees will be presented with the different inspection methods for parent material as well as for welds and heat affected zones, along with advice on what to do if damage caused by HHA is found.
In addition to paying a $13,166 penalty, the company agreed to provide more than $8,800 for training and equipment to the City of Hoquiam (Wash.) Fire Department to improve the department's capabilities in responding to hazardous materials emergencies.
"This facility is not only the first oil and gas field operations for ConocoPhillips that has exceeded OSHA's VPP minimum standards, but the company has not had an OSHA recordable injury since 2005," said Dean McDaniel, OSHA's regional administrator in Dallas, Texas.
"[T]hese settlements call for tough new controls and innovative technologies to cut down on harmful air emissions that threaten the health of millions of Americans," said Cynthia Giles, assistant administrator for EPA's Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance.
The refinery "did not ensure adequate maintenance and oversight of its process safety equipment, exposing workers to the release of toxic chemicals and posing a danger to not only the company's employees but to the community, as well," said Dean McDaniel, OSHA's regional administrator in Dallas.