Exxon refinery where blast occurred recently cited: California

By Jarrett Renshaw NEW YORK (Reuters) - Exxon Mobil Corp's Torrance, California, refinery, hit by an explosion and fire on Wednesday, was cited in November for eight serious violations following state inspections last year, according to documents released on Thursday. The blast and blaze that ripped through a gasoline processing unit at the refinery near Los Angeles slightly injured four workers. It prompted area schools to keep students and staff indoors as a precaution. On Nov. 24, California's Division of 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 has 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 did not immediately comment on the violations. The infractions run the gamut from minor incidents like failing to insulate hot tube ends, to more serious ones, like failing to inform employees about the presence of asbestos. The highest penalties - $6,750 a piece - were related to respirators known as 5-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 violations were by far the most the refinery had received in the past five years, according to a Cal/OSHA compilation. In four previous routine inspections during that time, the company received one serious and six general violations 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; Editing by Jessica Resnick-Ault, Jonathan Oatis and Bernard Orr)