The Silver Eagle Refinery in Woods Cross, Utah has been fined more than $1 million for safety violations cited after two separate explosions in 2009. The company's total fines amount to a sum five times greater than the combined total of fines for safety violations issued to all refineries in Utah over the past ten years.
The fines are based on 51 separate safety violations regarding unsafe equipment, lax safety procedures, poor record-keeping, unsafe building structure, vehicular access and failure to correct faulty pressure-relief valves as mandated by the Utah Occupational Safety and Health Administration.
Silver Eagle Refining Inc. was aware of 16 of the violations previous to the more serious of the two explosions that took place in November of 2009 yet made no move to correct the safety measures. These 16 violations are considered "willful" and another 34 violations were deemed as "serious" by the UOSHA.
Between the two explosions in 2009, four workers were severely injured at more than 100 neighboring houses were seriously damaged.
The Silver Eagle Refinery is the smallest of five refineries in Utah and processes 10,250 barrels of crude oil a day when the refinery is in full operation. However, the refinery shut down for two months after the explosions and has since reopened only one of its four processing units. The refinery now only processes about 4,000 barrels of crude oil per day.
Company spokeswoman Cindy Gubler states the company is currently sifting through 153 pages of citations and deciding which fines they will pay and which citations they will contest.
The company could potentially face criminal charges from the injured employees under Title 34A of the Utah Labor Code. Section 6-201 states an employer's duties:
· "each employer shall furnish each of the employer's employees employment and a place of employment free from recognized hazards that are causing or likely to cause death or physical harm..."
According to documentation from the UOSHA, since 16 of the 51 violations were made aware to the company previous to the explosion, they could be considered criminal beyond negligence.
Owners of damaged property have filed 290 claims to the company's main insurer, which has paid out the company's limit of $1 million for the claims. Neighbors are extremely concerned that proper safety regulations are not being enforced and many spoke of moving from the area to ensure the safety of their families.
