Union challenges Chevron Phillips to pay OSHA, work for safer workplace
PACE International Union is challenging Chevron Phillips Chemical Co. to channel its resources into improving health and safety with the help of the union instead of fighting the $2.5 million fine it received from the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) for 50 alleged violations of safety at the company's Houston Chemical Complex in Pasadena, TX. The fine is the result of an OSHA inspection triggered by a March 27, 2000 explosion and fire that left one worker dead and another 69 injured.
OSHA claims that management failure to properly train employees was a key factor in the explosion and fire at the facility, which has a long history of problems, according to the agency. "Unfortunately, this tragedy is not an isolated incident, but one in a series of incidents at this site," said U.S. Secretary of Labor Alexis M. Herman. "Three workers lost their lives in explosions at this plant in less than a year's time, and 23 others were killed in a major explosion in 1989."
The facility, a Phillips Petroleum Co. site doing business as Phillips Chemical Co., is now operated by Chevron Phillips Chemical Co. LP. New management vows that changes will be made and promises that efforts are already underway at the facility to improve health and safety. (See Safety Online, Chevron Phillips vows to upgrade safety programs.)
PACE International Union says it's ready to work with Chevron Phillips to correct the problems that caused the March 27, 2000 explosion. The union says it is "very pleased" to see that Chevron Phillips plans to adopt some of the items from the union's list of corrective actions necessary to make the facility safer.
It added in a statement, that it will not, however, "allow management to unilaterally institute programs based on smoke and mirrors that only cover up the failed management safety systems that caused these most recent disasters."
"A company that is serious about addressing health and safety problems consults with and reaches a consensus with the union before embarking on new safety programs," said PACE Region Six International Representative Jim Lefton. "After all, we are the people who do the jobs every day and know what will and will not work. But Chevron Phillips does the opposite. It continually decides on health and safety programs unilaterally, then asks for the union's input, and then tells us it's going to implement its program anyway no matter what we say."
The union sent the company a letter dated July 26, 2000, that asserted that Chevron Phillips "must start learning from its own failures by investigating every incident, accident, and near miss that occurs within this facility." The union insisted that any incident at the facility, "given its past record," must be investigated using the best technology available to Phillips to identify these system failures. Once the failures are identified, Chevron Phillips must take action to fix these problems and follow up until they are completed, said PACE.
"PACE is willing to work with Chevron Phillips, but as long as the corporation fails to share control of the health and safety program by making unilateral decisions, we are likely to see more repeat explosions," said Lefton.
PACE represents 320,000 workers in the pulp, paper, oil, chemical, auto parts and nuclear energy industries.
Edited by Sandy Smith
Managing Editor, Safety Online
E-mail: ssmith@verticalnet.com