VALIDATION
The following is an exert from the July 25, 2008 report prepared by Mike Sawyer of ASC, Inc. in regard to the BP TC Refinery. OSHA has reached the same conclusion after it has been auditing BP for over an additional year.
“I have been asked to evaluate information presented in the Process Safety Management Systems Compliance Audit Report for the Texas City Refinery [Ref 1] and its subsequent progress reports [Ref 2, 3, 4].1 After
thorough examination of the documents it is my professional opinion that:
1) BP presently continues to violate Federal law with respect to major process safety management (PSM) requirements, including the same and similar violations as those which resulted in the March, 2005 explosion;
2) BP has failed to comply with its contractual obligations to OSHA under its agreement following the March, 2005 explosion; and
3) There is no valid engineering or practical excuse for such continued violations.
The continuing violations of Federal law are critical to plant safety. They are life-threatening. They include the same violations which caused the March, 2005 explosion, 15 deaths and hundreds of injuries. If the existing unsafe conditions are allowed to continue, further deaths, injuries, fires, explosions and releases of hazardous chemicals into the atmosphere will probably occur in the future, as, in fact, they have occurred in the recent past. They could result in another major explosion comparable to that of March, 2005. The danger will continue until the plant is brought into compliance with the law.”
1 These voluminous reports have been copied onto a CD and are being filed separately with the Clerkâs office.
