Latest news with #chemicalrelease
CBS News
4 days ago
- Health
- CBS News
Fire at Shell cracker plant in Beaver County forces evacuation of multiple employees
A spokesperson for the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection said a fire at the Shell cracker plant in Beaver County forced the evacuation of multiple employees and potentially released chemicals into the community. Anita White and Eli Matich worry about what could be in the air outside their home in Potter Township, just miles away from the plant. "It just feels scary, because you don't really know how it's impacting your health," White said. "When they built it, it was meant for job employment, help boost Beaver County. But instead, it's kind of been more negative than positive, it seems like," Matich said. It was just two days ago when smoke appeared to be billowing out of the facility, caused by what the state DEP calls a fire. It happened Wednesday afternoon at ethane cracking furnace #5. The DEP spokesperson said Shell reported that 15 employees were evacuated, and one person suffered a minor heat-related injury. KDKA obtained a photo showing a mangled furnace inside the complex. A Shell employee told KDKA that the damage is so bad it could result in them tearing it down and rebuilding. "It's definitely concerning," Matich said. The DEP spokesperson said it resulted in the "possible release of an unknown amount of 1,3-butadiene and benzene" in the air, and that the furnace "was not in production at the time." The agency added that an emergency response team member conducted an initial assessment at the plant and did not see any visible emissions or unintended releases of them due to a malfunction or other problem, along with any unpleasant smells. Also, their "air monitor did not register any emissions above zero, which means there weren't any air pollutants that lingered related [to] the fire." "We're always trying to eat healthy and be clean, but then we have these chemicals that are going into the air. So, it kind of feels like, all right, what's the point?" White said. Environmental experts describe what may have been released this week as cancer-causing chemicals. Since Shell started operating here in late 2022, it's faced several malfunctions and millions of dollars in fines. Shell did not disclose the potential release of chemicals in a Facebook post to the public, but a spokesperson told KDKA they informed the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, and "will submit the [investigation] findings, as required, to the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency (PEMA) and the Local Emergency Planning Commission (LEPC)." As for White and Matich, for the time being, they'll be staying where they are. "Until the housing market gets a bit better, so we can move a little farther away," White said. The DEP spokesperson said Shell is continuing to investigate and that the agency will ensure the company complies with environmental regulations for the health and safety of the community.
CBS News
7 days ago
- Business
- CBS News
Report: Martinez refinery fire caused by inadequate training and monitoring of contractors, California workplace rules
A new report on the fire and chemical release at the Martinez Refinery Company in February blames inadequate training and supervision of contractors, as well as regulatory hurdles that created a lack of qualified workers. Contra Costa Health hired an independent firm to perform a root cause analysis to determine why the fire happened and how it can be prevented from happening again. The Feb. 1 fire lasted for three days, injured six workers, and emitted a host of harmful chemicals, prompting a shelter-in-place alert and public health advisory for the surrounding communities. Consultant JEM Advisors was set to present the report to the CCH's Martinez Refining Company Oversight Committee at its meeting on Tuesday. The report determined that the fire at MRC began when workers mistakenly opened a flange on the wrong side of an isolation valve during maintenance work, leading to the release of hydrocarbon material, which quickly caught fire. Contractor issues resulting from California workplace rules The report concluded that the root cause of the fire was inadequate oversight of the operations and work of the contractors, who had limited organizational capability to perform the work. Their limited capability required increased monitoring and operator oversight, the report said. The report also listed four contributing causes, one of which was regulatory restrictions due to California Senate Bill 54, passed in 2013, and co-employment rules included in Assembly Bill 5, passed in 2019. SB 54 requires companies to use source contractor manpower from local union halls, meaning personnel experienced in refinery unit maintenance from other locations cannot be used, and experienced workers are more difficult to find, the report said. Meanwhile, co-employment rules for contractors prevent MRC from approving contractor safety plans and providing safety training directly to contractors. Instead, the rules require sharing such safety training with contractor company leaders, "with the expectation that contractor employees are fully trained in these prior to working on the refinery site," according to the report. "As a result of these two regulations, there is now a higher likelihood for human errors entering into maintenance work performed by contractor resources," the report stated. Other contributing causes were faulty work procedures, inadequate contractor training because of co-employment rules, and inadequate or missing contractor supervision. Among the issues affecting contractors' ability to perform was the small font on work permits, making them difficult to read, and inadequate procedures to mark or tag locations where work is to be done. Smoke billows from the Martinez Refining Company in Martinez, Calif., on Feb. 1, 2025, during a fire. Tony Hicks/Bay City News Previous incidents at the Martinez Refinery Company New Jersey-based BPF Energy acquired MRC from Royal Dutch Shell in 2020. Since then, there have been three major incidents at the refinery as well as other spills and chemical releases. On Thanksgiving Day in 2022, the refinery mistakenly released more than 20 tons of chemicals into the air, covering cars and homes in metallic dust. In July 2023, the refinery spewed petroleum coke dust, also known as petcoke, prompting a hazardous materials investigation. In February, CCH said the chemicals and combustion byproducts from February's fire and release included those that can cause cancer, and heart and lung disease. In a statement issued at the time, county health director Dr. Ori Tzvieli said it was fortunate the wind blew most of the toxic smoke north of the refinery and away from populated areas. "This could have been much worse," Tzvieli said. "We got lucky this time. But our community shouldn't have to rely on luck." CCH said in February that concentrations of chemicals in the air from the fire were mostly below the threshold considered dangerous, but there was a brief period when the particulate matter near the refinery was at a high level. The agency said it was working with toxicologists to determine whether there were any long-term health impacts from the release, including potential impacts to soil and water. The report from JEM Advisors said MRC has already implemented some changes recommended in the report, such as increasing company personnel presence during contractor maintenance work and reinforcing adherence to existing procedures. Other recommendations include increasing operations oversight, closely reviewing and endorsing safety assessment permits to ensure contractors are aware of risks, and providing consequences for poor performance as well as for excellence.
CBS News
03-06-2025
- Business
- CBS News
Report: Martinez refinery fire caused by inadequate training and monitoring of contractors, regulatory issues
A new report on the fire and chemical release at the Martinez Refinery Company in February blames inadequate training and supervision of contractors, as well as regulatory hurdles that created a lack of qualified workers. Contra Costa Health hired an independent firm to perform a root cause analysis to determine why the fire happened and how it can be prevented from happening again. The February 1 fire lasted for three days, injured six workers, and emitted a host of harmful chemicals, prompting a shelter-in-place alert and public health advisory for the surrounding communities. Consultant JEM Advisors was set to present the report to the CCH's Martinez Refining Company Oversight Committee at its meeting on Tuesday. The report determined that the fire at MRC began when workers mistakenly opened a flange on the wrong side of an isolation valve during maintenance work, leading to the release of hydrocarbon material which quickly caught fire. The report concluded that the root cause of the fire was inadequate monitoring of the operations and work of the contractors, who had limited organizational capability to perform the work. Such limited capability required increased operator oversight, the report concluded. The report also listed four contributing causes, one of which was regulatory restrictions due to California Senate Bill 54, passed in 2013, and co-employment rules included in Assembly Bill 5, passed in 2019. SB 54 requires companies to use source contractor manpower from local union halls, meaning personnel experienced in refinery unit maintenance shutdowns from other locations cannot be used and experienced workers are more difficult to find, the report said. Meanwhile, co-employment rules for contractors prevent MRC from approving contractor safety plans and providing safety training directly to contractors. Instead, the rules require sharing such safety training with contractor company leaders, "with the expectation that contractor employees are fully trained in these prior to working on the refinery site," according to the report. "As a result of these two regulations, there is now a higher likelihood for human errors entering into maintenance work performed by contractor resources," the report stated. Other contributing causes were faulty work procedures, inadequate contractor training because of co-employment rules, and inadequate or missing contractor supervision. Among the issues affecting contractors' ability to perform was the small font on work permits, making them difficult to read, and inadequate procedures to mark or tag locations where work is to be done. Smoke billows from the Martinez Refining Company in Martinez, Calif., on Feb. 1, 2025, during a fire. Tony Hicks/Bay City News New Jersey-based BPF Energy acquired MRC from Royal Dutch Shell in 2020. Since then, there have been three major incidents at the refinery as well as other spills and chemical releases. On Thanksgiving Day in 2022, the refinery mistakenly released more than 20 tons of chemicals into the air, covering cars and homes in metallic dust. In July 2023, the refinery spewed petroleum coke dust, also known as petcoke, prompting a hazardous materials investigation. In February, CCH said the chemicals and combustion byproducts from February's fire and release included those that can cause cancer, and heart and lung disease. In a statement issued at the time, the county health director said it was fortunate the wind blew most of the toxic smoke north of the refinery and away from populated areas. "This could have been much worse," county health director Dr. Ori Tzvieli said. "We got lucky this time. But our community shouldn't have to rely on luck." CCH said in February that concentrations of chemicals in the air from the fire were mostly below the threshold considered dangerous, but there was a brief period when the particulate matter near the refinery was at a high level. The agency said it was working with toxicologists to determine whether there were any long-term health impacts from the release, including potential impacts to soil and water. The report from JEM Advisors said MRC has already implemented some changes recommended in the report, such as increasing company personnel presence during contractor maintenance work and reinforcing adherence to existing procedures. Other recommendations include increasing operations oversight, closely reviewing and endorsing safety assessment permits to ensure contractors are aware of risks, and providing consequences for poor performance as well as for excellence.
