Originally published February 15 2006
Oil giant BP could face criminal prosecution
by Mike Adams, the Health Ranger, NaturalNews Editor
BP could face criminal prosecution because of a deadly explosion in March at its Texas City refinery. A report issued by BP on the blast indicated lax attitudes by management toward safety and more than 300 willful violations.
Oil giant BP could face criminal prosecution in connection with the deadly explosion in March at its Texas City refinery, federal officials said Friday.
Al Belsky, a spokesman for the Department of Labor, said officials there have referred their review of the blast to the Department of Justice for possible criminal indictment.
The referral comes as BP issued its final report on the blast Friday, painting a picture of lax attitudes by management toward safety at the refinery.
In September, the Occupational Safety & Health Administration, an agency of the Labor Department, fined BP $21.4 million for more than 300 willful violations following a six-month investigation of the accident.
They centered on disrepair of equipment and the company's failure to assess the risk of placing an occupied construction trailer so close to a volatile unit.
"The Department of Labor is referring the BP refinery case to the Department of Justice for consideration of criminal prosecution under the Occupational Safety & Health Act," Belsky said.
He added that the agency's "process safety management" regulations, which spell out the rules for safe operations of refineries, have been in effect since the late '90s.
Ross Pillari, president of BP Products North America, said the company acknowledges its mistakes and will invest $1 billion in improvements to the Texas City plant during the next five years.
Workers were starting up the refinery's so-called isomerization unit --- used to boost the octane of gasoline --- when they overflowed a tower with highly flammable hydrocarbons.
Joe Bilancich, the United Steelworkers' bargaining unit chairman at the Texas City plant, said the three union members on BP's accident investigation team refused to sign off on the report because of concerns with its final wording.
All content posted on this site is commentary or opinion and is protected under Free Speech. Truth Publishing LLC takes sole responsibility for all content. Truth Publishing sells no hard products and earns no money from the recommendation of products. NaturalNews.com is presented for educational and commentary purposes only and should not be construed as professional advice from any licensed practitioner. Truth Publishing assumes no responsibility for the use or misuse of this material. For the full terms of usage of this material, visit www.NaturalNews.com/terms.shtml