State fines BP refinery for safety violations
Published 12:27 pm Wednesday, May 5, 2010
BLAINE — The Washington state Department of Labor and Industries has fined the BP Cherry Point refinery near Blaine $69,200 for 13 serious safety violations.
The department said today that the petroleum refinery failed to follow rules for managing hazardous chemicals, including not routinely inspecting or maintaining safety devices such as pressure safety valves.
The violations were uncovered during an inspection that began in November and focused on a unit that refines low-grade oil into gasoline.
BP Cherry Point, the largest refinery in Washington, processes 225,000 barrels of crude oil a day.
