BP Texas City Refinery Formally Contests OSHA Citations

Published: 30-Oct-2009

BP Products North America Inc. (BP) has formally contested all of the citations, including alleged violations and proposed penalties, abatement actions and abatement dates disclosed by the Region 6 Office of the US Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). The citations relate to a previously announced disagreement between OSHA and BP as to whether the company is in compliance with a 2005 OSHA settlement agreement reached after the March 2005 accident at the Texas City refinery.

That matter is presently before the Occupational Health & Safety Review Commission, a body that is independent of OSHA. This filing will expedite the process of referring the contested case to an Administrative Law Judge.

“We are disappointed that OSHA took this action in advance of the full consideration of the Review Commission,” said Texas City Refinery Manager Keith Casey. “We continue to believe we are in full compliance with the Settlement Agreement, and we look forward to demonstrating that before the Review Commission. While we strongly disagree with OSHA’s conclusions, we will continue to work with the agency to resolve our differences.”

From the outset, BP has cooperated with OSHA in the agency’s review of the company’s Texas City operations and has considered the process a key input to the refinery’s compliance and safety programs.

“We believe our efforts at the Texas City refinery to improve process safety performance have been among the most strenuous and comprehensive that the refining industry has ever seen,” Casey said. “We remain committed to further enhancing our safety and compliance systems and achieving our goal of becoming an industry leader in process safety.”

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