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Refinery Cited Following Hydrogen Sulfide Exposure

June 1, 2001

OSHA cited the Valero Refining Co. after two contract employees were exposed to hydrogen\r\nsulfide at the company's refinery in Corpus Christi, Tex.

EHS Today Staff

OSHA cited the Valero Refining Co., San Antonio, Tex., for one alleged willful, one alleged repeat and seven alleged serious violations after two contract employees were exposed to hydrogen sulfide at the company''s refinery in Corpus Christi, Tex. One of the employees died a few days following the exposure.

The agency has proposed penalties totaling $138,000.

Specifically, Valero Refining was cited for:

failing to provide adequate personal detection/monitoring equipment for employees working with a possible hydrogen sulfide exposure.
lack of fall protection,
defective process hazard analyses,
deficiencies in the lockout/tagout program, and
exceeding peak concentrations and not providing respiratory protection for hydrogen sulfide exposures.

Berry Contracting, doing business as Bay Ltd., Corpus Christi, Tex., was also cited with one willful and six serious alleged violations totaling $94,500 in proposed penalties.

Valero employs approximately 490 workers at its Corpus Christi refinery and about 2,800 employees nationwide.

by Melissa Martin

About the Author

EHS Today Staff

EHS Today's editorial staff includes:

Dave Blanchard, Editor-in-Chief: During his career Dave has led the editorial management of many of Endeavor Business Media's best-known brands, including IndustryWeek, EHS Today, Material Handling & Logistics, Logistics Today, Supply Chain Technology News, and Business Finance. In addition, he serves as senior content director of the annual Safety Leadership Conference. With over 30 years of B2B media experience, Dave literally wrote the book on supply chain management, Supply Chain Management Best Practices (John Wiley & Sons, 2021), which has been translated into several languages and is currently in its third edition. He is a frequent speaker and moderator at major trade shows and conferences, and has won numerous awards for writing and editing. He is a voting member of the jury of the Logistics Hall of Fame, and is a graduate of Northern Illinois University.

Adrienne Selko, Senior Editor: In addition to her roles with EHS Today and the Safety Leadership Conference, Adrienne is also a senior editor at IndustryWeek and has written about many topics, with her current focus on workforce development strategies. She is also a senior editor at Material Handling & Logistics. Previously she was in corporate communications at a medical manufacturing company as well as a large regional bank. She is the author of Do I Have to Wear Garlic Around My Neck?, which made the Cleveland Plain Dealer's best sellers list.

Nicole Stempak, Managing Editor: Nicole Stempak is managing editor of EHS Today and conference content manager of the Safety Leadership Conference.