Worker suffocates inside well after Valero, contractors ignore hazards, CA officials say
A California petroleum refinery faces a fine of more than $500,000 after officials say it violated serious safety regulations that caused the death of a 35-year-old worker.
Valero Refinery in Benicia and three contractors were fined a combined $1,753,375 by the Cal/Occupational Safety and Health Administration, according to a May 19 news release from the California Department of Industrial Relations.
A representative from Valero did not immediately respond to a request for comment from McClatchy News on May 20.
The fines are tied to an incident on Nov. 12, 2021, when a worker had descended into a regenerator well to evaluate its condition and clean it ahead of welding work, officials said.
The worker was found inside the well hanging by his equipment after losing consciousness, according to the news release.
First responders from the Benicia Fire Department and Valero Refinery Fire Department attempted to resuscitate him but were unsuccessful, the release stated.
Officials say a welding torch had been left inside the well and was leaking argon, “an odorless gas that displaced oxygen inside the confined space.”
Officials from Cal/OSHA said Valero and two other contractors failed to follow confined space guidelines such as ensuring that there were safe, acceptable conditions for the employee before he entered the well.
“Working in confined spaces is extremely dangerous, as is working with argon,” Cal/OSHA Chief Jeff Killip said in the release. “The employers involved had a responsibility to keep their workers safe. The first step to preventing a completely avoidable fatality is to identify hazards before a worker enters a confined space.”
The Valero refinery was fined $528,750; Total Safety - $988,000; JT. Thorpe & Son, Inc. - $135,500; and T.R.S.C., Inc. - $101,125.
This story was originally published May 20, 2022 at 5:47 PM with the headline "Worker suffocates inside well after Valero, contractors ignore hazards, CA officials say."
