Workplace Regulator Wary of "Sloppiness" in BP Spill Cleaning
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2010年06月11日 08:30:41 (Bloomberg) 【大 中 小】 |
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| June 10 -- Workplace inspectors are monitoring BP Plc’s cleanup of oil from Gulf Coast shores for signs of“sloppiness”that would expose workers to hazards, the head of the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration said.
“We are prepared to issue citations if we see hazards,”OSHA chief David Michaels said yesterday in a telephone interview from Houma, Louisiana, while touring staging areas used by cleanup workers.“We must be vigilant”because“conditions can change, and sloppiness can occur, and we don’t want that to happen.”
The agency is seeking to ensure workers on beaches or in coastal waters are protected as the heat index tops 120 degrees, are given breaks during long stretches of work and are shielded from chemicals used to disperse the oil, Michaels said. Strict schedules must be imposed to give workers breaks in hot weather, particularly if they wear protective clothing, he said.
OSHA has less power over BP than agencies such as the Environmental Protection Agency, which can punish the company for violations of U.S. law by preventing it from seeking government contracts. OSHA lacked oversight of the BP-leased Deepwater Horizon drilling rig that exploded April 20, killing 11 workers. OSHA’s jurisdiction extends about 3 miles from shore; the rig was about 40 miles (64 kilometers) off the coast.
BP’s U.S. refineries have been a target of OSHA enforcement. OSHA fined the company a record $87.4 million in October for failing to correct deficiencies at a Texas refinery after a 2005 explosion killed 15 workers. OSHA has also boosted inspections of oil refineries, though many of the citations have been contested by companies that are issued penalties.
"Not Punishing"BP
In the Gulf, the agency isn’t using BP's record at its refineries as the basis for examining the oil cleanup, said the 55-year-old Michaels.
“We are not punishing”BP, he said.“Our concern is for the workers.”
OSHA has had 20 to 30 workers in the Gulf since the April 20 explosion.“We’re on the beach, we’re in the marshes, we’re on the boats,”Michaels said.“We get a very prompt response when we raise concerns.”
U.S. commercial fishing boats were recalled from the cleanup after four crew members reported“nausea, dizziness, headaches and chest pains”on May 26, the Joint Information Center said in a statement at the time. All 125 boats were asked to return for medical tests on their crews.
EPA, Corexit
BP has been using Corexit, a chemical dispersant from Nalco Holding Co., to break up oil on the surface. BP has been ordered to reduce the amount of chemicals being used, EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson said on May 24.
Overall, OSHA is pleased by BP’s response and the work of cleaning contractors, Michaels said. A key difference between work conditions in the Gulf and at company refineries is that“BP doesn’t run the show here,”he said.
Among the changes that could be made to improve working conditions in the region, are more regular hazard assessments, focused on exposure to heat and toxic chemicals, he said.
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