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$540,890 fines issued after blast
US
The California Department of Industrial Relations’ (DIR) Division of Occupational Safety and Health (Cal/OSHA) has issued 28 citations with penalties totalling $540,890 following an investigation of an explosion in Sylmar, California on August 9th 2011. The explosion resulted in the injury of three people. Investigators found violations at three companies that resulted in eighteen serious and six wilful citations.
The explosion occurred when a pressure vessel containing compressed gas, including oxygen and hydrogen, exploded while two workers were transferring hydrogen and oxygen gas from one cylinder to another. The explosion took the arm and leg of one worker and seriously injured the other. Another injured employee was reportedly treated and released for minor injuries.
“Our investigation documented a troubling disregard for safety as the employer continued to manufacture and store gases that are known to be highly explosive without the proper safety procedures in place”, said OSHA Chief Ellen Widess. “Employers cannot place their employees at risk by skirting their workplace safety responsibilities.”
The OSHA investigation revealed that the three employers were involved in the manufacture and storage of oxygen/hydrogen gas that could potentially give rise to explosive environments. The employers failed to correct hazardous conditions that had been previously identified in two prior explosions, including one incident that resulted in the death of a worker in Simi Valley in June 2010.
