The petrochemical industry is one of the most intense industries in the world today, with a tremendous capacity to affect both national and international economies in the event of a catastrophic accident. It's also one of the most hazardous industries in the world in terms of product flammability, volume of processes, and extreme operating conditions.
Given the fact that most refineries in the United States are more than 25 years old, many still with their original fire protection systems, the owners and insurers of major refineries worldwide are increasingly concerned about fire and explosion safety at today's oil and gas refineries. Oil drilling, regardless of the location, is a dangerous and risky enterprise. Injuries are frequent and fatalities are common.
Citizen watchdog groups, such as the ones listed on refineryreform.org have taken an active role in making sure that refineries comply with environmental laws. It is their view that refiners should not receive new permits if they are violating environmental laws and that communities should be given a meaningful chance to review permit applications. Some believe that refiners should support the cost of monitoring for air contaminants and that they should be responsible for the care of victims of air pollution.
Safety and health professionals, working with process, chemical, instrumentation, and metallurgical engineers, try to assure that the potential physical, mechanical, chemical, and health hazards are recognized and provisions are made for safe operating practices and appropriate protective measures. These measures may include hard hats, safety glasses and goggles, safety shoes, hearing protection, respiratory protection, and protective clothing such as fire resistant clothing where required. In addition, procedures should be established to assure compliance with applicable regulations and standards such as hazard communications, confined space entry, and process safety management.
A new U.S. Coast Guard rule which was implemented on July 17, 2006, requires operators of oil and gas and sulfur operations on the Outer Continental Shelf to report all accidents that have any potential to be serious. This amends the previous requirement that only catastrophic accidents have to be reported.
Because oil refinery accidents tend to be catastrophic, these safety measures cannot mitigate all of the hazards. It is the responsibility of the oil company to provide a safe working environment for employees and to assure the safety of surrounding communities.
Grossman Law Offices represents wrongful death cases, such as deaths resulting in oil refinery accidents.
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