omega protein
An explosion July 28, 2014 left one contract worker dead and three injured at Omega Protein in Moss Point (File)
MOSS POINT, Mississippi -- The Occupational Safety and Health Administration has proposed fines of $187,620 for four companies after a deadly blast at Omega Protein last year.
According to the OSHA investigation, two temporary workers hired to cut and weld pipes at the Moss Point plan on July 28, 2014, had no idea and had no training to know that the storage tank beneath them contained explosive methane and hydrogen sulfide gases.
One of the two men found out later as he lay in a hospital with a fractured skull, internal injuries and broken bones.
The second man, 25-year-old Jerry Taylor, died when the tank exploded.
The contract workers were working near the plant's fish oil storage tanks when one of the five tanks exploded just before 9:30 a.m., emergency officials said at the time.
Omega Protein produces fish oils and fish meal for human consumption and for use in aquaculture, agriculture and industrial applications.
The cited companies are Accu-Fab & Construction Inc., Omega Protein, and JP Williams Machine & Fabrication, all in Moss Point, and Global Employment, in Pascagoula.
The U.S. Department of Labor's OSHA investigated the incident and found the four companies violated safety regulations that could have prevented the tragedy.
"The Omega Protein plant explosion shines a spotlight on how critical it is for employers to verify, isolate and remove fire and explosion hazards in employee work areas," said Eugene Stewart, OSHA's area director in Jackson. "If the employer ensured a safe environment, this tragic incident could have been prevented."
Accu-Fab, a metal fabricator, was contracted by Omega Protein to manufacture and erect a waste water storage tank that required modification of existing pipes. A staffing agency, Global Employment Services, provided Accu-Fab with the employees needed at Omega. JP Williams Machine, which provides industrial service and repair, was on-site the day of the explosion performing unrelated maintenance activities.
OSHA issued 13 citations to Omega Protein for willful, repeated and serious safety violations.
"The health and safety of our employees and contractors is an absolute priority for Omega Protein, and we take these finding very seriously," company spokesman Ben Landry said in a statement.
OSHA issued a willful citation for exposing employees to fire and explosion hazards due to Omega management's failure to inform Accu-Fab that the storage tank contained waste water that could generate hydrogen sulfide and methane gases, which can be highly explosive and toxic, even at low concentrations.
The repeated violations involve not having standard railings on open-sided floors and platforms and failing to label electrical boxes properly, according to OSHA.
"The majority of the findings in the OSHA report have already been remedied, some of which were resolved on the spot during the OSHA site visits last summer," Landry said. "The last remaining items are already in the process of being addressed."
He said the company does not agree with the full OSHA report's conclusions.
"The company expects it will request a conference with OSHA and will appeal parts of its determination," Landry said.
Omega Protein was cited previously for these violations in 2012, OSHA noted.
Additionally, the serious hazards included allowing workers to weld and cut piping on an improperly prepared storage tank containing explosive methane and hydrogen sulfide gases and failing to label or tag the storage tank to note that it contained hazardous chemicals.
OSHA cited Accu-Fab for one willful, four serious and two other-than-serious violations.
The willful violation was issued for failure to train workers on chemical hazards in the work area, such as hydrogen sulfide, methane, welding gas and paints.
Global Employment Services was issued a serious citation for this same hazard.
Additionally, both employers were cited for a serious violation for failure to instruct employees about avoiding unsafe work conditions.
Accu-Fab was also cited for failure to ensure employees working on top of a storage tank at heights of up to 29 feet were wearing fall protection and for not recording this fatality or two other recordable injuries.
JP Williams was issued one serious citation for improperly storing oxygen and acetylene cylinders. Exposure to acetylene can cause headache, dizziness, asphyxiation and even frostbite.
Proposed penalties for the four companies total $187,620.
OSHA has conducted 13 inspections at Omega Protein facilities in Mississippi, Virginia and Louisiana since 1998. The company has received citations for noise exposure, personnel protective equipment, machine guarding, welding and cutting and electrical hazards.
Accu-Fab has three prior OSHA inspections, most recently in 2002, and has been cited for scaffolding, forklift, welding, cutting and electrical violations. Both JP Williams and Global Employment have no prior OSHA inspection history.
The companies have 15 business days from receipt of their citations and proposed penalties to comply, request a conference with OSHA's area director or contest the findings before the independent Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission.