$1 Million Chevron Fine Insufficient Alone to Assure Change in Safety Culture, Rep. Miller Says
WASHINGTON – Rep. George Miller (D-Calif.), the senior Democratic member of the House Education and the Workforce Committee, issued the following statement after the California Division of Occupational Safety and Health (Cal/OSHA) issued 25 citations totaling nearly $1 million against Chevron over significant violations uncovered at its Richmond, Calif. refinery after an August 6, 2012 fire. While there were no serious injuries to refinery workers who managed to escape harm, thousands of residents in the surrounding community were advised to shelter-in-place. The Richmond Chevron facility is in Rep. Miller’s congressional district.
“Citations released today by Cal/OSHA show that Richmond’s Chevron refinery operated outside the margins of safety, putting the life and health of workers and nearby residents at risk. While this fine is the largest in Cal/OSHA’s history, I believe it alone is an insufficient assurance to the West County residents and the refinery’s workers that they will receive the necessary safety protections they deserve.
“Given Chevron’s pervasive failure to comply with process safety requirements, the city, county and state officials need to examine all of their tools to assure that West County residents and refinery workers are protected in the future. Our community needs more than just promises that safety will improve. We need to see actual changes at this facility implemented and verified.”
The Cal/OSHA investigation found that Chevron willfully violated longstanding industry practices needed to prevent the pipe failure that caused the fire at the Richmond refinery. Investigators also found that the refinery had a pervasive practice of operating outside the margins of safety by failing to properly repair leaking pipes carrying flammable materials.
For more information on the investigation into the fire, visit Cal/OSHA’s website.
Next Article