Industrial Accident Lawyer Blog

Texas based Tesoro Corporation has revealed in its recent quarterly report that it is under investigation by the Environment Protection Agency for the April 2 explosion which killed seven workers an injured scores more at the Anacortes, Washington refinery.

Tesoro's previous filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission claimed the EPA was looking into the incident, but did not say whether it was a criminal or civil inquiry.

Tesoro has already been fined $2.39 Million by the Washington Department of Labor and Industries (a state OSHA-type agency), after an extensive investigation into the working conditions at the refinery and how the Anacortes facility exploded. It cited the company with 39 willful and five serious violations.

The Tesoro Refinery Explosion was caused by a heat exchanger at the refinery which ruptured just after midnight on April 2, 2010, releasing hydrocarbon vapor. The vapor ignited, leading to a massive fire. Seven workers died.

A contractor working on construction of the Forsyth County, Georgia water treatment facility was killed in a Georgia workplace accident last week. The worker was trapped under a piece of machinery which had rolled over onto him. According to published reports, the worker was trapped under a forklift type device and was "completely under" the machine when he was found.

The safety of contractors and sub-contractors on a construction project or in an industrial setting is often overlooked. Contractors should be included in the daily tailgate safety meetings, weekly safety meetings, and should be given a contractor safety manual when they begin work. They should always wear clothing that signifies their contractor status on the property, and, ideally, should enter and exit through a separate "contractor gate." Unfortunately, contractors are usually just allowed on the property and instructed on their specific scope of work----and nothing else. They are generally not brief in special safety issues, and not provided any site specific training. This is a serious problem in work place safety which leads to workers' compensation claims and construction construction injuries.