OSHA fines BP for Ohio plant problems

OSHA has fined BP Products North America more than $2.4 million for unsafe operations at the company's Oregon, Ohio, refinery. OSHA says its inspection identified a number of violations similar to those found during an investigation of the fatal explosion at BP's Texas City, Texas, refinery in March 2005 that claimed the lives of 15 workers and injured more than 170 others (C&EN Online Latest News, Dec. 9, 2005). "It is extremely disappointing that BP Products failed to learn from the lessons of Texas City to ensure their workers' safety and health," says OSHA Administrator Edwin G. Foulke Jr. After last year's explosion, OSHA fined BP a record $21.3 million, citing hundreds of violations. OSHA began inspecting BP's refinery near Toledo last fall under the Enhanced Enforcement Program, which focuses on companies that have had repeated problems with safety. OSHA found 39 violations at the Ohio refinery, including locating people in vulnerable buildings among the processing units. A BP spokesman says the company has already addressed many of the alleged violations and plans to seek an informal settlement conference with the agency.