Richmond, CA — Six workers were hospitalized and treated for minor injuries after an explosion at the Chevron refinery in Richmond, California, on Monday, August 6, 2014.
Reports say that sulfur inside the oil caused a pipe inside the refinery to corrode to the point where it began to leak. This created a vapor cloud which engulfed several nearby employees and eventually ignited.
The Chemical Safety Board investigated the accident and found the refinery’s response to the emergency to be substandard. The CSB said that the refinery put too many employees in harm’s way, and that they had not done enough to prevent pipes from corroding and failing.
The investigation also found that, although some had recommended that the refinery have its pipes inspected, that those recommendations were not heeded.
The CSB identified several areas in which the refinery could improve its safety standards and operations, and is working with company officials toward those reforms.
Scene of the Accident
Commentary
It’s unfortunate that accidents like this have to occur before a company can wise up and tighten its safety standards. All too often, corners are cut and people’s lives are put at risk in order to have a stronger bottom line. Depending on a state’s specific workers’ comp laws, if a company is aware of a safety risk and does nothing to remedy the situation, they can be found to have been grossly negligent, which would give any employees hurt in an accident grounds to bring a claim against them. Again, this depends on a state’s workers’ comp laws, which can vary.
— Grossman Law Offices
