Repcon, Inc.: OSHA inspections and violations

Incident on Dec 14, 1998: Ten employees injured when exposed to hydrogen sulfide gas

Employees #1 through #10 worked at a crude oil refinery at which nearby process units (crude oil and gas oil treater) were undergoing a planned turnaround. The units had staggered shutdown and startup schedules, and they shared some product transfer piping leading to storage. When the product flow was rerouted by opera tions prematurely, sour naphtha liquid was released into the crude unit from an open connection installed on a new 6 in. piping section that served as an exchan ger bypass line. The low-pressure release lasted for several minutes and allowed clouds of toxic hydrogen sulfide gas to accumulate in and around the nearby con trol room and through nearby process units. Emergency alarm and evacuation proce dures were not executed according to plan. Operators responding in the field at first attempted rescue efforts without using emergency air packs, ultimately add ing to the total of exposed employees. Numerous exposures to the evolved sour ga s resulted in injury to both plant and contractor employees. Employees #1 throug h #10 were transported to the hospital, and Employees #2 through #4, #9, and #10 were admitted. None experienced permanent effects. Subsequent investigation rev ealed weaknesses and discrepancies in the plant lockout/tagout program, and poor implementation and upkeep of the process safety program. Unit isolation blinds and lockout/tagout blinds for the equipment were not clear to the operators due to poor tracking. Operating procedures were both outdated (e.g., the use of chec klists) and/or unclear, such as to how to perform the final stages of unit start up.

Incident on Jun 11, 1986: Electric shock - direct contact with overhead line

AN EMPLOYEE HAD BEEN OPERATING A CRANE BETWEEN A 7-FOOT FENCE AND AN OVERHEAD PO WER LINE THAT WAS 20.5 FEET ABOVE THE GROUND. FOR UNKNOWN REASONS, THE EMPLOYEE CLIMBED THE BOOM AND BEGAN WALKING ALONG IT. HE WAS HOLDING ONTO THE LOWER ELECT RIC CONDUCTOR, WHICH WAS BELIEVED TO BE A GROUND WIRE. TO GAIN HIS BALANCE OR TO WAVE, THE EMPLOYEE THREW HIS LEFT HAND UP AND CONTACTED THE 7200-VOLT OVERHEAD LINE. HE RECEIVED AN ELECTRIC SHOCK AND ELECTRICAL BURNS TO BOTH HANDS AND TO TH E BACKS OF BOTH LEGS. THE INJURY TO HIS RIGHT HAND WAS SEVERE ENOUGH TO NECESSIT ATE AMPUTATION. A SECOND EMPLOYEE WAS WALKING ABOUT 15 FEET FROM THE LOAD ON THE CRANE WHEN THE ACCIDENT OCCURRED. (THE LOAD HAD BEEN HOOKED UP AND WAS READY TO BE MOVED AT THE TIME.) THIS EMPLOYEE ALSO RECEIVED AN ELECTRIC SHOCK BECAUSE OF THE WET GROUND. HE TRIED TO RUN, BUT WAS UNABLE TO DO SO; HOWEVER, HE WAS NOT H OSPITALIZED.