The Case Record
Major OSHA Process Safety Management enforcement actions
Landmark PSM cases with the penalties OSHA proposed, what inspectors found, and how they ended. Every entry links to its source. For citations issued in the last 12 months, see the live tracker.
| Year | Facility | What OSHA found | Type | Proposed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | BP Products North America Texas City, TX · Refinery | 270 failure-to-abate notices from the 2005 settlement ($56.7M) plus 439 new willful PSM violations, largely pressure relief ($30.7M). Outcome: BP paid $50.6M (2010) to settle the failure-to-abate items and $13.03M (2012) to resolve 409 willful citations. Source: OH&S · MPR/AP · ENR | WillfulFTA | $87,430,000 |
| 2005 | BP Products North America Texas City, TX · Refinery | Citations following the March 2005 isomerization unit explosion that killed 15 workers and injured 170. Outcome: Then the largest OSHA penalty on record; settlement terms later became the basis for the 2009 failure-to-abate citations. Source: OGJ | Willful | $21,000,000 |
| 2010 | BP-Husky Refining Oregon (Toledo), OH · Refinery | 42 willful (39 per-instance) and 20 serious violations: inadequate pressure relief for process units, fuel accumulation in process heaters, building collapse risk from fire. Source: U.S. DOL | WillfulSerious | $3,042,000 |
| 2013 | Chevron USA (Cal/OSHA) Richmond, CA · Refinery | 25 citations (11 willful serious) after the Aug 2012 crude unit fire: corroded pipe left in service despite internal recommendations dating to 2002. Outcome: The maximum allowed under California law at the time. Settled 2017: Cal/OSHA withdrew or downgraded a number of the violations; Chevron committed to replace carbon steel piping in corrosive service (est. $15M), add training, and pay an additional $227,300. Source: OH&S · Hydrocarbon Processing | WillfulSerious | $963,200 |
| 2010 | WRR Environmental Services Eau Claire, WI · Chemical processing | 14 willful and 1 serious violation following a June 2010 explosion and fire. Source: U.S. DOL | WillfulSerious | $787,000 |
| 2020 | TPC Group Port Neches, TX · Chemical | Cited after the November 2019 butadiene unit explosions and fires, including 3 willful violations for failing to develop and implement emergency shutdown procedures and to inspect and test process vessels and piping. Source: U.S. DOL | Willful | $514,692 |
| 2021 | Limetree Bay Refining St. Croix, USVI · Refinery | 20 PSM violations after oil and vapor releases and flaring events in February and May 2021. Source: U.S. DOL | Serious | $259,407 |
| 2009 | Sunoco Marcus Hook, PA · Refinery | Refinery NEP inspection: 5 repeat violations ($125,000) for inaccurate piping diagrams, inadequate operating procedures and outdated process safety information, plus 20 serious ($77,000) including an inadequate PHA and inaccurate inspection records. Source: OH&S | RepeatSerious | $202,000 |
| 2024 | AJLS Enterprises (Schoep's Ice Cream) Madison, WI · Ammonia refrigeration | 12 serious violations after workers were exposed to anhydrous ammonia, including PSM failures: equipment not documented as RAGAGEP-consistent, audit findings not addressed, changes not managed. Source: U.S. DOL | Serious | $145,097 |
| 2020 | Philadelphia Energy Solutions Philadelphia, PA · Refinery | Serious PSM violations after the June 2019 fire and explosions involving hydrofluoric acid and flammable hydrocarbons. Source: U.S. DOL | Serious | $132,600 |
| 2022 | Pilgrim's Pride Canton, GA · Ammonia refrigeration | 9 serious violations for inadequately implementing and maintaining the PSM program for anhydrous ammonia refrigeration. Source: U.S. DOL | Serious | $110,630 |
| 2015 | Seaboard Foods Guymon, OK · Ammonia refrigeration | 7 serious PSM violations in an ammonia refrigeration system. Source: U.S. DOL | Serious | $51,000 |
All amounts are proposed penalties at the time of citation. Employers can contest before the Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission (or a state review board for state-plan cases), and final amounts often differ. FTA = failure to abate. Chevron Richmond was cited by Cal/OSHA under California's state plan.