OSHA has referred the case of a deadly explosion at a BP refinery in Texas
to the Department of Justice for possible criminal prosecution, Reuters reports.
"A verbal referral has been made to the Department of Justice," Alan
Belsky, a spokesperson for the Labor Department , tells the news service. "It
is now up to the Department of Justice to decide whether or not to pursue it."
In March 2005, an explosion and fire at BP's refinery in Texas City, Texas,
claimed the lives of 15 workers and injured more than 170 others. The explosion
and fire erupted during the restarting of a process unit.
In a September 2005 settlement with OSHA, the company agreed to pay more than
$21 million in penalties following an agency investigation into the incident.
In settling with OSHA, the company denied committing safety and health violations
and disputed OSHA's characterization of them.
Last week, the company released its final report on the explosion. The company
said it has set aside $700 million to compensate victims of the explosion and
has worked to resolve claims arising from the incident.
OSHA has said that when the agency can document that an employer willfully
violated an agency standard and that violation caused the death of a worker,
the agency may refer the matter to the U.S. Justice Department for consideration
of criminal prosecution.
Links