BP to pay $13mn to settle most Texas City refinery safety violations
By BEN LEFEBVRE
BP will pay $13 million to settle most of the 439 safety violations the US Occupational Health and Safety Administration found in 2009 at the oil giant's Texas City, Texas, refinery, the company and OSHA said Thursday.
The settlement comes after BP resolved all but 30 of the violations the government cited, many stemming from OSHA's contention that BP did not provide enough safety system instructions to workers.
OSHA said the additional violations will be settled or sent to litigation by the end of the year.
"In 2009, BP was behind the curve in refinery safety," OSHA deputy assistant secretary Jordan Barab said. "At this point, there is nothing imminently dangerous to workers' lives or to the community."
The Texas City refinery was the site of a 2005 blast that killed 15 workers and injured scores more. BP paid millions to the families of the deceased as well as tens of millions in fines related to the accident.
In 2010, BP agreed to pay a record $50.6 million fine to federal safety regulators for a litany of other safety items at the refinery but disputed $31 million in other fines and citations.
"We respect OSHA and have worked to address their concerns in this latest agreement," Iain Conn, BP's global head of refining, said in a statement.
"We look forward to continuing our cooperation with OSHA to create an even safer workplace in BP and in our industry as a whole."
BP said last year it is putting the refinery on the market.
Dow Jones Newswires
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