ExxonMobil Fined, Again, for Safety Violations

TORRANCE, CA - State regulators issued three citations to ExxonMobil on Friday over a September leak of hydroflouric acid at the company's Torrance refinery, saying the company failed to properly repair a damaged nozzle for four years.

According to Cal/OSHA, failure to properly repair the nozzle exposed workers to "possible serious injury or death."

ExxonMobil officials said the company is working "cooperatively with Cal/OSHA to understand the findings of their investigation and the basis for their citations.

"We will continue to work with Cal/OSHA to resolve the citations," according to the company. "Providing a safe working environment that protects our employees, contractors and the community in which we operate will always be our first priority."

The citations stem from a Sept. 6 leak at the Torrance refinery's alkylation unit. According to Cal/OSHA, investigators determined that the leak stemmed from a "temporary clamp that was installed on a three-inch nozzle flange following an earlier leak in 2011. The nozzle was not replaced until January 2016."

Torrance fire officials said at the time that it took about 15 hours to repair the leak. There were no reports of any injuries.

"This is a case, a minor repair could have prevented workers at this refinery from exposure to a life-threatening acid," said Cal/OSHA Chief Juliann Sum. "These citations and penalties are a wake-up call that refineries must follow strict safety protocols to protect their employees."

The citations come with penalties totaling $72,120.

State regulators stressed that the penalties were unrelated to a February 2016 explosion at the same plant that has hampered gasoline production in the state for months. The state issued 19 safety violations and fines in excess of $565,000 following that blast. ExxonMobil is appealing.

--City News Service, Photo Credit: Twitter user Occupy Wall Street ‏@OccupyWallStNYC