Oil giant ExxonMobil was slapped with a $566,600 fine on Thursday after an investigation found that the Feb. 18 explosion at the company's Torrance refinery involved a number of violations.

The California Division of Occupational Safety and Health (Cal/OSHA) issued 19 citations for violations of workplace safety and health laws. Of these, 18 were classified as serious because they could potentially lead to serious injury and even death.

Six of the serious violations were likewise classified as willful since there was no evidence that the company took actions to eliminate known hazardous conditions at the refinery.

ExxonMobil, which has 15 days to appeal to the Occupational Safety and Health Appeals Board, was found to have failed to eliminate known hazardous conditions and to comply with California's safety standards, which likely resulted in the refinery's workers being injured.  

The investigation concluded that the explosion was caused by a hydrocarbon release which leaked out of a fluid catalytic cracker (FCC) unit and eventually caused the explosion of the electrostatic precipitator, a filtration device that eliminates fine particulates.

The FCC unit is no longer working since nine years before the blast. In March 2011, a worker who was also working on the unit lost six teeth and suffered a fractured jaw after a motor in a pump that he was attempting to shut down exploded.

Cal/OSHA also said that the management of the company was aware that the electrostatic precipitator could potentially explode during a flammable vapor leakage. In 2007, a safety review pointed out concerns about the leakage but the company neglected to fix it.

Cal/OSHA likewise pointed out that there were no written procedures on how to operate the unit when it is on hot standby and this situation is similar to working on an idling car.

Cal/OSHA's Process Safety Management Unit statewide manager Clyde Trombettas said that lapses have led to the blast, which resulted in eight workers being decontaminated and four sent to the hospital due to minor injuries. The explosion also rained ash on cars and homes nearby as well as damaged plant equipment.

"Petroleum refineries have the responsibility to keep workers safe, and to also protect nearby communities and the environment," said Christine Baker, the agency's Department of Industrial Relations director. "This investigation revealed severe lapses in Exxon's safety protocols."

ExxonMobil said that it is reviewing the citations to come up with the right administrative and legal steps. The company also said that it will continue to cooperate with Cal/OSHA.

Photo: Mike Mozart | Flickr