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OSHA Fines Lazarus Energy for Exposing Workers

Company: Lazarus Energy LLC

Scope: OSHA discovered 11 safety violations, mainly for exposing workers to chemical hazards at its Nixon refinery.

What Happened: OSHA inspected Lazarus Energy LLC in July of 2013 after a referral from the Environmental Protection Agency. The EPA was focusing on the refinery's process safety management program for handling flammable liquids in excess of 10,000 pounds.

The 10 serious process safety management violations cited include a failure to properly compile process safety information for vessels, piping, and other equipment; resolve previous process hazard analysis action items; update communication operating procedures; complete and update a thorough process hazard analysis; compile and implement written procedures for mechanical integrity; and implement a management of change program.

The other-than-serious violation involved failing to initiate and maintain record keeping of the OSHA 300 injury and illness logs for the year 2012.

Results: Safety violations resulting in fines.

Notes: OSHA's area director in Austin, Casey Perkins, stated, “Process safety management programs are designed to prevent the catastrophic release of highly hazardous chemicals and must constantly be updated." Process safety management programs encompass a detailed set of requirements and procedures employers are required to follow in order to proactively address hazards that are associated with processes and equipment that use large quantities of hazardous chemicals.

Manufacturer Cited by OSHA for Chemical Hazards

Company: StanChem Inc.

Scope: StanChem Inc., a manufacturer of specialty coatings and polymers, has been cited for 13 serious violations of workplace safety standards at its East Berlin, Conn., manufacturing plant.

What Happened: StanChem's plant process safety management program to identify, address and eliminate hazards associated with processes using, storing, manufacturing, handling or moving of large amounts of highly hazardous chemicals onsite, was found to be inadequate by OSHA during inspection.

Violations included incomplete information about process equipment; did not determine or document that the equipment met good engineering practices; incomplete or outdated process hazard analysis; and neglected to document correction of deficiencies cited in an earlier compliance audit.

Results: Safety violations resulting in fines.

Notes: Under OSHA's process safety management standard, employers are required to develop, implement and update process safety management programs with regards to hazardous chemicals at their facilities.