Safety at Work
U.S. Steel faces 10 violations and $118,000 in fines from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) related to last year’s deadly explosion at the Clairton Coke Works.
The Pittsburgh-based company was cited nine times for inadequate safety procedures, employee training and equipment to isolate machines from energy sources. The last violation comes from U.S. Steel’s failure to supply the agency with incident reports in a timely manner.
“The fine comes as no surprise as we have been monitoring the plant, and when you have workers injured and two killed, it is essential for safety to be the first priority for any company,’’ said Matt Mehalik, executive director of the Breathe Collaborative, a collation of citizens, environmental advocates, public health professionals, and academics working to improve air quality, eliminate climate pollution, and make the region a healthy and prosperous place to live.
Mehalik said everyone had high expectations that the recent announcement that Nippon Steel would invest $11 billion into U.S. Steel operations would help stem safety issues. “But it is still unclear how much of that money will flow into the Clairton Coke Works,’’ said Mehalik said.
OHSA also slapped MPW Industrial Services, an Ohio-based contractor whose employees were on site when the blast took place, with nine violations and $61,000 in fines. These were also mainly tied to procedure and training issues.
U.S. Steel said in a statement that it’s reviewing the citations. MPW has made no comment about the fines.
On Aug. 11, an explosion ripped through an area between Batteries Nos. 13 and 14 at the coke works. U.S. Steel employees Timothy Quinn and Steven Menefee died as a result. Another 10 workers were hurt along with a contractor.
“These fines should serve as a wakeup call for more stringent safety monitoring,’’ said Mehalik.
Michael Spring, a professor emeritus from the University of Pittsburgh notes that large scale manufacturing – like the Clairton Coke Works – are big and complex. “They are subject to aging which makes them costly to maintain so when a company like Nippon says they are going to invest more than $2 billion; it is an indication that there are a lot of things that need fixed,’’ said Spring.
“We are grateful to OHSA for thoroughly investigating the tragic incident that cost two lives and impacted many other,’’ said United Steelworkers District 10 Director Bernie Hall in a statement. “We are dedicated to working with management to implement OSHA’s recommendations – especially those that incorporate process safety management – and continue our mission to make our workplace safer.’’
The incident came less than two months after Nippon Steel’s nearly $15 billion acquisition of U.S. Steel, underscoring the challenges the Japanese steelmaker faces.
The last major explosion at the coke works came in 2010. Some 14 employees and six workers were injured.
U.S. Steel must also post the citations at a prominent spot in the workplace, near the location of the violations or where they will be “readily observable by affected employees,’’ according to OHSA.
