Ultramar Inc.: OSHA inspections and violations

Incident on Oct 8, 1996: Employee burned after stepping into hot water pit

On October 8, 1996, Employee #1, a maintenance employee for a refinery, was walk ing through an area west of the 30-H-301 heater on his way to another work site. The area was flooded with hot water because the surface drainage system for the area had become plugged. His coworkers, who had been attempting to unplug the d rainage system, had removed the catwalk covering from the sump box in the floode d area. They had left the area a few minutes earlier to obtain additional equipm ent. The area had been barricaded with plastic tape earlier, but the heat from t he hot water had caused it to droop severely. Steam was rising from the surface of the pooled water, but Employee #1 decided to ford the pond of hot water rathe r than taking a longer, dry route. He did not notice any barricade tape in his p athway. As he walked through the water, he stepped into the uncovered sump box. Water came up over his 6 in. work boot, scalding him on the shin. Employee #1 su stained third-degree burns, for which he was hospitalized.

Incident on Nov 15, 1994: Employee's leg fractured by flying hose

At approximately 1:50 p.m. on November 15, 1994, the staff at a refinery set up a training fire drill on its grounds that was attended by an emergency response team. Employee #1 was laying a 3 in. supply hose that was connected by a foam tr ailer to a fire hydrant. The hose also connected to a gated Y-valve, and a small er hose was attached to the other side of the value. Once the supply hose was se t, Employee #1 gave the signal to fill it. He was struck by the hose and valve a s they filled, suffering a fractured leg. The hose arrangement may have opened t he Y-valve, which was then thrust upward by the force of escaping water. Witness es, who were observing the fire drill, said that no device locked the Y-valve cl osed; the closed handles could be swung open with little to moderate force. The employer was cited for two general and two serious violations.