Blast-hit Exxon refinery recently cited for violations: California

By Jarrett Renshaw NEW YORK (Reuters) - (This version of the Feb. 19 story has been corrected to clarify first paragraph and penultimate paragraph to reflect that the November findings were revised last month. Inserts new second paragraph to show that the violations have been resolved.) The Exxon Mobil Corp XOM.N refinery in Torrance, California, that was hit by an explosion this week was cited last year for eight serious violations following state inspections, but a review cleared the plant this month of all but two serious violations and 12 general violations. Exxon Mobil said on Thursday it had resolved both serious violations at the plant. The blast and blaze that ripped through a gasoline processing unit at the refinery near Los Angeles on Wednesday injured four workers slightly. It prompted schools in the area to keep students and staff indoors as a precaution. On Nov. 24, California's Division of Occupational Safety and Health, better known as Cal/OSHA, cited the refinery for eight serious and 17 general violations and fined Exxon Mobil $41,320, according to the documents. The citation, which Exxon appealed, resulted from 10 routine inspections of the facility. A serious violation is defined as one that could result in serious injury or death. Exxon Mobil spokesman Todd Spitler said that after an extensive review of the initial findings, Cal/OSHA cited the refinery for two serious violations - failure to maintain piping insulation and a missing guard on a cable winch - and 12 general violations. The settlement agreement was approved by the administrative law judge earlier this month. "The refinery has abated all the serious citations," he said. The initial infractions ran the gamut from minor incidents like failing to insulate hot tube ends to more serious ones, such as failing to inform employees about the presence of asbestos. The highest penalties - $6,750 apiece - were related to respirators known as five-minute escape bottles, or “Spare Air”, which are deployed in an emergency. Inspectors say the company did not have a procedure for the proper use of the equipment in a key area of the facility, including failing to provide instructions on how to use a nose clip to prevent workers from inhaling dangerous fumes while using the device. None of the violations concerned the fluid catalytic cracker, the unit involved in Wednesday's explosion, which will remain shut down until an investigation into the cause of the blast is complete. The probe is expected to take up to six months. The number of violations in the original citation was by far the highest the refinery has been cited for in the past five years, according to a Cal/OSHA compilation. In four previous routine inspections during that time, one serious and six general violations were noted in all. The state also cited the company for three serious and five general violations prompted by an accident or complaint in the past five years, according to a Cal/OSHA compilation. (Reporting By Jarrett Renshaw; Additional reporting by Rory Carroll in San Francisco,; Editing by Jessica Resnick-Ault, Jonathan Oatis, Bernard Orr, Alan Raybould and Alden Bentley)