BP’s Texas Oil Refinery Blast May See Criminal Indictments

The USW in the US supports the decision by the federal Labor Department to refer the consequences of BP’s fatal 23 March 2005 explosion at an oil refinery in Texas City, Texas, to the US Justice Department for possible criminal indictments.

Fifteen workers—all contract employees—were killed and another 170 were workers injured when the blast occurred during start-up of an isomerisation unit at the former Amoco refinery. BP issued its final report on the US’s worst industrial disaster in two decades last week by identifying root causes, including “Processs safety … had not been set and consistently reinforced by management.”

In September, the US Labor Department’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration cited the firm with over 300 “egregious and willful” violations and fined the British firm US$21.4 million.