MEC&F Expert Engineers : OSHA cites Air Liquide Large Industries US LP, a Corpus Christi Steam methane reformer plant for willful, serious violations for safety failures that exposed workers to health dangers

Thursday, July 21, 2016

OSHA cites Air Liquide Large Industries US LP, a Corpus Christi Steam methane reformer plant for willful, serious violations for safety failures that exposed workers to health dangers





July 21, 2016

OSHA cites
Air Liquide Large Industries US LP, a Corpus Christi Steam methane reformer plant for willful, serious violations for safety failures that exposed workers to health dangers

Employer name: Air Liquide Large Industries US LP

Inspection Site: 5880 Up River Road, Corpus Christi, Texas 78408

Citations issued: July 20, 2016

Investigation findings: The U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration initiated the Jan. 27, 2016, inspection after following a complaint of unsafe working conditions at the company's facility in Corpus Christi. The agency cited Air Liquide Large Industries US LP for one willful and one serious violation. The willful citation was issued for failing to perform air monitoring to assess employee exposure to carbon monoxide gas. The serious citation was issued for failing to protect workers from a potentially hazardous atmosphere created by inadequately maintained valves found leaking within the pressure swing adsorption skid.

Proposed penalties: The fines total $77,000

Citations: http://www.osha.gov/ooc/citations/Air_Liquide_1119754.pdf

Quote: "Air Liquide is a large, multinational organization with vast holdings but it chooses to ignore simple processes to keep its employees safe," said Travis Clark, OSHA's Area Director in the Corpus Christi office. "Carbon monoxide can be deadly if it is not controlled and monitored closely."

Information: Air Liquide is headquartered in Paris, Air Liquide has more than 50,000 employees in 80 countries. It is the largest supplier of industrial gases by revenues worldwide. The employer has 15 business days from receipt of its citations to comply, request an informal conference with OSHA's area director, or contest the citations and penalties before the independent Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission.

To ask questions; obtain compliance assistance; file a complaint or report amputations, eye loss, workplace hospitalizations, fatalities or situations posing imminent danger to workers, the public should call OSHA's toll-free hotline at 800-321-OSHA (6742) or the agency's Corpus Christi office at 361-888-3420. For more information, visit http://www.osha.gov.

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Air Liquide aims to deliver innovative gas solutions and technologies to a wide range of customers, driving their performance and helping them reduce their environmental impact. No matter where, we make sure our solutions are safe, reliable, cost-effective and sustainable.
Our capabilities include the following:
  • Industrial gas production – oxygen, nitrogen, hydrogen and rare gases
  • Specialty gases and advanced precursor materials
  • Gas supply modes – cylinder, bulk, microbulk, pipeline delivery, as well as on-site production
  • Gas handling equipment
  • Gas and chemical management
  • Analytical and laboratory services
  • Cogeneration – steam and electricity
  • Research & Development – Delaware Research & Technology Center
  • Engineering & Construction

Industrial gas production and distribution

Industrial gas production and distribution has remained at the core of Air Liquide’s business since its founding in 1902. In the U.S., our robust production and distribution networks are engineered to serve the needs of our diverse customer base. Air Liquide owns and operates more than 140 industrial production facilities throughout the U.S.
Primary production facilities:
  • Air Separation Unit (ASU) – oxygen, nitrogen and argon
  • Steam Methane Reformer (SMR) – hydrogen and syngas
  • Carbon dioxide capture – purification and liquefaction
  • Cogeneration – electricity and steam
We deliver a range of industrial and specialty gases in bulk and in cylinders through a robust distribution network.
  • 700+ professional truck drivers
  • 500+ tractors and trailers
  • 60+ truck and rail depots
We deliver enormous volumes of oxygen, nitrogen, hydrogen and syngas to large industrial customers in Texas and Louisiana through extensive pipeline networks.
Air Liquide owns and operates more than 2,000 miles of industrial gas pipeline in the U.S.
Air Liquide has developed an array of on-site industrial gas production technologies to meet the needs of many industries. We install, operate and maintain a range of on-site production systems, which generate medium to large volumes of oxygen, nitrogen and hydrogen at hundreds of customer sites.

Safety first

Safety is a core value at Air Liquide and we take pride in our high safety standards. Our safety performance, which has improved steadily for more than 20 years, attests to the active involvement of employees in Air Liquide’s strong safety culture. 

Innovation

Innovation is at the heart of Air Liquide’s strategy. We constantly reinvent our business, anticipating market challenges and opening up new markets to create new growth opportunities. Air Liquide also innovates for the benefit of society, exploring new technologies to meet the needs of customers and patients.
The Delaware Research & Technology Center (DRTC), one of Air Liquide’s nine major R&D centers worldwide, was established in Newark, Delaware in 2007.
Today more than 100 researchers representing over 20 nationalities are based at the DRTC.
Major fields of research include bioresources, electronics, membranes, oxy-combustion, process control and logistics, hydrogen energy and modeling.

Sustainable development

Air Liquide is creating new high value-added applications and services, fostering innovation to reduce pollution, lower energy consumption, maximize the value of our natural resources, develop alternative energy sources and improve quality of life – for the benefit of customers, patients and society.

Community partnerships

At Air Liquide, we view community investment not as a choice but as a serious responsibility. We are committed to supporting the communities in which we live and invest both financially and through volunteering time and expertise. In the U.S., Air Liquide’s community engagement program supports philanthropic initiatives dedicated to improving STEM education, youth enrichment and relief efforts for natural disasters.