The United Steelworkers union has called on Tesoro Corp to implement comprehensive safety systems after a sulfuric acid release earlier this year left two workers seriously injured.
The incident happened on February 12th at the alkylation unit of Tesoro’s Golden Eagle refinery near Martinez, California. Two workers were airlifted to UC Davis Medical Center.
USW vice president, Gary Beevers, said: “Tesoro management trivialised the extent of the workers’ injuries to establish jurisdictional defense specifically to avoid the scrutiny of US Chemical Safety Board (CSB) and other agencies.”
“While the company continues to grow and its market share expands, Tesoro’s corporate culture of safety has steadily diminished.”
The Associated Press reported on Friday 28th of March that state officials had cleared the unit to reopen following a review of worker safety measures and training by the Occupational Health and Safety Administration.
Tesoro Corp is one of the largest independent refiners and marketers of petroleum products in the United States.
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