Shortcuts, a lax safety culture and pressure on workers at the Tesoro refinery near Martinez created conditions that led to four people being burned by sulfuric acid in two separate incidents in 2014, one of which released 84,000 pounds of the corrosive chemical, according to a report released Tuesday by the U.S. Chemical Safety Board. The East Bay petroleum plant, part of Texas’ Tesoro Corp., did not learn from previous accidents and minimized the seriousness of the 2014 events that hospitalized workers with first- and second-degree burns, the agency concluded. According to the report, the company initially hindered progress on the two-year probe by refusing to let investigators into the refinery and failing to preserve evidence. In the February incident, two Tesoro employees were sprayed with sulfuric acid that spurted from a valve due to the failure of a connector tube, the report said. “We strive for an injury-free workplace by proactively managing risks, following rigorous standards, ensuring our leadership is committed and our employees have a personal responsibility for safety,” the company statement said. The federal agency slammed the broader atmosphere at the plant, saying managers emphasized expedited training and maintenance to keep costs low at the expense of worker safety.
