A powerful blast at an ExxonMobil oil refinery rocked Torrance, California, on Wednesday. Hours after an explosion ripped through a Torrance refinery, residents for miles around continue to grapple with ash, a gas odor and concerns over poor air quality while inspectors confirmed that a filtration device was the source of the blast. For instance, the CSB found that during work leading up to the incident, workers violated corporate lock out tag out requirements. ET), but there was no . For more than seven years, members of small, local activist groups have been irresponsibly making claims against the Refinerys use of MHF, without any basis in fact, Lafayette wrote recently. The Heises, for their part, are still working to educate residents in Torrance and Wilmington about their MHF concerns and are grateful the issue is still being monitored. Still, the explosion led to further safety measures, some the refineries put in voluntarily and others they did so essentially at the behest of government agencies. Ryan Zehl is the lawyer responsible for this website. After protests and intensified public pressure from such activists as the Heises mounted in 2017, the AQMDs Proposed Rule 1410 became a key focus of the agencys Governing Board. All communications are private and confidential. For decades, hydrofluoric acid was a standard chemical in oil refining, serving as a catalyst during a process known as alkylation. Kim Baldonado, Patrick Healy, Jason Kandel, and Tena Ezzeddine contributed to this report. Paige Austin, Patch Staff. Both the PBF and Valero refineries are situated in densely populated areas of the South Bay: About 245,000 people live within three miles of the Torrance refinery and another 153,000 live within that same distance of Valeros refinery, AQMD said. The fire was reported to the South Coast Air Quality Management District and California Office of Emergency Services, police said. Investigators are trying to determine what caused the explosion at a Torrance oil refinery that sent four workers to the hospital. The Board does not issue citations or fines but does make safety recommendations to plants, industry organizations, labor groups, and regulatory agencies such as OSHA and EPA. Environmentalists and activists, though, argue that the additives levels in MHF have significantly decreased since the modified versions creation. Zehl & Associates Injury & Accident Lawyers is a Houston Personal Injury Law Firm that represents accident victims across Texas, Louisiana and the United States. Theyre going to pass it on to the consumer..
Fire, explosion reported at Torrance Refinery, police say Here's your go-to source for today's LA news. Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting. The work of the Safety Auditor was overseen by a Los Angeles Superior Court judge and approved prior to use of MHF at the refinery.. This explosion and near miss should not have happened, and likely would not have happened, had a more robust process safety management system been in place, then-CSB Chairwoman Vanessa Allen Sutherland said in a statement at the time. Thick smoke rose from a mangled, multiple-story portion of the Torrance ExxonMobil Refinery, located south of the 405 Freeway, after the 8:50 a.m. blast. Congressman Ted Lieu (D-Los Angeles County) issued the following statement on Saturday's fire: Federal investigators in January said a failure to follow safety guidelines was partly to blame for the blast and that the aftermath could have been "catastrophic" had the equipment hit the unit housing MHF. Liz Odendahl, Hahns spokeswoman, said in an interview that the supervisor was furious at the AQMDs decision to accept the refineries proffers. The agency's board members are appointed by the president and confirmed by the Senate. On Saturday, the Torrance Refinery Action Alliance announced a campaign urging Gov. Activists held an event Saturday to mark the fifth anniversary of the explosion at the Exxon Mobil refinery in Torrance that injured four workers. proporcionarte nuestros sitios y aplicaciones; autenticar usuarios, aplicar medidas de seguridad y evitar el spam y los abusos, y. medir el uso que haces de nuestros sitios y aplicaciones. The remainder of the FCC unit is comprised of a portion of the reaction process and a series of pollution control equipment that uses air and is known as the air side of the unit. The refinery completed those improvements in 2020. Gen. Xavier Becerras office investigate how the Torrance and Wilmington refineries are able to legally operate using hydrofluoric acid. Fill out the form below for a free case review with one of our experienced personal injury lawyers. TORRANCE TODAY is a 15-minute live news broadcast airing Monday. The fire, possibly triggered by an explosion that has not yet been confirmed, was reported at 6 a.m. Saturday in the plant's crude oil unit, said Torrance Assistant Fire Chief Steve Treskes. Some said they heard one of the workers may have turned on the gas inside one of the apartments before it was completely ready. A group of activists on Saturday marked the fifth anniversary of an explosion at the Exxon Mobil refinery in Torrance that injured four workers and prompted continuing concerns about the. The South Coast Air Quality Management District issued a smoke advisory for any areas where residents can see or smell smoke. Si no quieres que nosotros ni nuestros socios utilicemos cookies y datos personales para estos propsitos adicionales, haz clic en Rechazar todo. The 2015 explosion, according to the CSB, caused the refinery to run at limited capacity for more than a year and raised gas prices in California costing drivers in the state an estimated $2.4. The refineries are the only two in the state that use the substance. With the capacity to refine more than 150,000 barrels of gasoline a day, the . 2023 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. The incident caused the refinery to be . Activists carried signs reading Congratulations PBF, zero days explosion free and All lives matter while chanting Hey, hey, ho, ho, MHF has got to go. Some said the turnout demonstrates the series of refinery disruptions has reached a crisis point. U.S. Rep. Ted Lieu said in a statement Saturday that he plans to ask the U.S. Chemical Safety Board to include Saturdays incident as part of an ongoing investigation into the problems at the trouble-plagued refinery that began two years ago. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. The explosion occurred in the refinerys fluid catalytic cracking (FCC) unit, where a variety of products, mainly gasoline, are produced. April 8, 2018 / 2:50 PM / KCAL News. MHF opponents have also expressed concerns that the refineries havent done enough to ensure the communities safety. This is a breaking news story. Alex Wigglesworth is an environment reporter who covers wildfires for the Los Angeles Times. Cuando utilizas nuestros sitios y aplicaciones, usamos. There was no sign of an announced safety rally at the refinery PBF had planned to hold for workers as a counterpoint to the demonstration so they could reflect upon the (2015) incident.. PBF also reached a separate agreement with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to upgrade an additional water monitor in 2020, according to Lafayette. California workplace regulators fined ExxonMobil more than $500 million for the violations related to the explosion. For a breakdown of the fees and expenses associated with the verdicts and settlements listed on our site, please visit our Results page. More Stories Drone helps. The refinery previously said that the citys Fire Department has the sole responsibility to decide what tools to use, when to use them, and what area within the community to notify. At the bottom of a public notice explaining the Torrance Community Warning System, however, ExxonMobil has the ability to initiate the use of the Community Alert Sirens and Crenshaw Street Barriers if an incident at the refinery warrants immediate community notification., The Senate Energy, Utilities and Communications Committee and the Environmental Quality Committee has planned a joint hearing to address the emergency response in the Torrance refinery explosion. So far though, it doesn't appear as if any serious damage or injuries have occurred, barring reported explosions in Torrance. As a result, when the valve was needed during an emergency, it did not work as intended, and hydrocarbons were able to reach an ignition source. California Occupational Safety and Health officials were at the site investigating. TORRANCE (CBSLA) Firefighters say four people have been injured in a reported explosion at an apartment complex in Torrance. On a day when activists marked the two-year anniversary of an explosion that rocked the then-ExxonMobil refinery and showered neighborhoods with industrial debris, another fire erupted at the troubled Torrance plant early Saturday.
Final CSB Report of Explosion at ExxonMobil Refinery in Torrance, CA I urge SCAQMD to act with urgency, said the South Bay Democrat. Economic factors, such as job creation and the regional and global importance of oil, further complicate the issue, at least for elected officials. CSB Releases Final Report into 2015 Explosion at ExxonMobil Refinery in Torrance, California, Drivers of Critical Chemical Safety Change, Process Safety Management for the 21st Century, Emergency Planning and Response (Preparedness), Website design & development by Americaneagle.com. No injuries were reported and there were no evacuations.
Local battle over toxic chemical at Torrance, Wilmington refineries 4 Injured in Possible Gas Explosion at Torrance Apartment - KTLA Lieu commended the AQMD for its proposal to phase out the use of modified hydrofluoric acid at the plant, one of only two refineries in California to rely on MHF. It appeared it was a gas explosion, but a hazardous materials team was on scene Sunday afternoon working to determine exactly what occurred. In February, a large explosion occurred at ExxonMobil's refinery in Torrance, California. Valero, owner of the Wilmington refinery, did not respond to multiple requests for comment. May 3, 2017, Torrance, CA, -- Today, the U.S. Chemical Safety Board (CSB) released its final report into the February 18, 2015, explosion at the ExxonMobil refinery in Torrance, California. But at the time, theyd never heard of MHF and didnt think much of it.
ExxonMobil's Torrance Refinery Sold Amid Report Of Potential Disaster The modified HF catalyst reduces acid vapor pressure sufficiently to suppress the usual flash atomization process of hydrofluoric acid, that environmental impact report said, causing most of the acid to fall to the ground as an easily controlled liquid and reduces the potential for off-site consequences of an accidental HF release.. The explosion sent ash raining down on vehicles parked near the sprawling 750-acre site and caused what one worker described as intense shaking. Cliff and Donna Heise, for example, serve as secretary and treasurer of the TRAA, respectively.
Inside the refinery, the explosion blew off parts of an electrostatic precipitator and damaged other equipment at the plant. In February, a large explosion occurred at ExxonMobils refinery in Torrance, California. God may not warn us again.. The CSB is an independent, non-regulatory federal agency charged with investigating serious chemical incidents. The AQMDs own reports warned that the ability of MHF to prevent formation of a vapor/aerosol cloud is highly uncertain and that a release of MHF will result in exposure to HF with the same health effects.. In working with inherently dangerous products, it is critical to conduct a robust risk management analysis with the intent of continually safety improvement..