OSHA scarce at area plants(over the last 5 yrs & fails to enforce it's own standards)

[maddezmom]

OSHA scarce at area plants


By ANNE BELLI
Copyright 2007 Houston Chronicle

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Federal regulators responsible for ensuring worker safety have not conducted planned inspections of the vast majority of area petroleum refineries over the last five years — including the BP Texas City plant where 15 people were killed two years ago, a Houston Chronicle review of federal records shows.

Instead, inspections by the U.S. Occupational Safety & Health Administration of local refineries have been conducted only sporadically — sometimes after years of no visits by inspectors at all. And the few inspections that have been conducted all came after a complaint, referral or accident, records show.

When federal investigators this week release their final report on the causes of the BP explosion, OSHA may be sharing the hot seat with the oil giant.

At issue is whether the 37-year-old agency has provided adequate oversight of the refining industry.

While the U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board's findings won't be made public until Tuesday, many industry observers are concerned that OSHA fails to proactively enforce its own standards, leaving plant operators to largely police themselves. They say the BP accident shows what can happen as a result.

more:http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/front/4641880.html

[lostnotforgotten]

1. Reagan Republicans Love To Lambast OSHA Until They Are Injured In A Refinery Accident

Pipe Falls On Head,

Neck Breaks,

Accident Could Be Prevented,

Accident Not Prevented Because Reagan Republican Voted For Dubya,

Reagan Republican Becomes Outraged,

Never Understands That Outrage Should Be Directed To The Person In The Mirror,

Go Figure!

[TomInTib]

2. Funny, we were talking about this just last week.

We have a bunch of old buildings in our little town that are under pretty much never-ending maintenance.

I cannot remember the last time we were visited by OSHA.

They used to be all over us.

I, for one, do not miss them.

But I would certainly hope that they would be a presence at industrial sites.

[Prisoner_Number_Six]

3. OSHA had their teeth pulled many years ago

They have no power left, and they're basically a waste of space.

[Doremus]

4. Just one more instance of Shrubco dismantling the government infrastructure.

Make the government look incurably inept at the simplest task and you've accomplished two things. One, you reinforce the belief that government shouldn't be performing these tasks, and two, you get to divert the money that would have been spent on other, more "compelling" things ... like wars, back room deals and the like.

:puke:

[july302001]

5. kicking...

It's an important issue around Houston because of the BP Refinery Explosion on March 23, 2005.

[cosmicdot]

6. knr

[kath]

7. Quelle surprise!!!