Unprotected workers regularly sprayed with acid: U.S. Chemical Safety Board
HOUSTON (Reuters) — The U.S. Chemical Safety Board said workers on a unit at Tesoro Corp.'s San Francisco Bay-area Golden Eagle refinery that was involved in a Feb. 12 accident have been regularly sprayed with acid during sampling activities and do not have protective equipment.
In an open letter on Wednesday to Tesoro Chief Executive Gregory Goff as part of a legal dispute with the company, the board's three members said a mechanical failure on an alkylation unit led to two workers sustaining first- and second-degree burns from sulfuric acid.
The letter said that despite Tesoro lawyers trying to block access to the Martinez facility, an investigation found that the problem resulted "in the sprayed acid, and that operators being sprayed by acid and caustic during routine sampling activities is a common occurrence."
Tesoro has said the accident was not serious enough to merit an investigation by the board, which under federal law determines the causes of chemical plant explosions, fires and accidents.
Tesoro, the largest refiner on the U.S. West Coast, said on Thursday that it works to ensure safety throughout its operations.
"At Tesoro, we ensure our facilities are properly designed, safely operated and appropriately maintained," company spokeswoman Tina Barbee said in a statement.
The Golden Eagle refinery can turn up to 166,000 barrels per day of crude oil into motor fuels and petrochemicals.
The Chemical Safety Board said workers did not have access to equipment to protect themselves from sprayed acid.
"Furthermore, some workers have made the assertion to us and to their union representatives that they have been fearful for their jobs at times when they wished to express safety concerns," the board's letter said.
An alkylation unit uses acid to convert low-octane refining by-products into gasoline blending components that boost octane.
Earlier this week, the United Steelworkers union, which represents hourly workers at Golden Eagle, said Tesorohad downplayed the injuries to prevent the investigation.
"Management's platitudes about operating safely have been exposed, as constant downward pressure to produce continues to threaten workers, their communities and the environment," said USW International Vice President Gary Beevers, who heads the union's oil sector.
The union said workers have told state workplace safety investigators that they were afraid of working on the alkylation unit and had noted on documents they were required to sign for procedural changes with the words "signed under duress."
The California Division of Occupational Safety and Health is also investigating the accident.
The two workers burned by acid were flown to a University of California hospital in Davis, California and released the same day, the company said. They continue to recover at their homes.
In January, the board issued a draft final report on a deadly explosion in 2010 at Tesoro's Anacortes, Washingtonrefinery, in which seven workers were killed.
The CSB said Tesoro could have prevented the accident. An investigation by Washington State Labor & Industries Department completed in 2010 also said Tesoro's failure to maintain the unit involved in the blast led to the explosion.
Labor & Industries levied a $2.38 million fine on Tesoro. The company is appealing the fine.
