Fatal Accident at Ohio BP-Husky Refinery — Preliminary Report Indicates Managers Ignored Warning Signs

A preliminary report by the U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board suggests that supervisors at the Ohio BP-Husky refinery continued to run the plant despite several malfunctions and a petroleum spill hours before an accident that killed two workers last year.

The report, posted following The Wall Street Journal article about the preliminary findings, says that a morning valve failure resulted in a large spill of highly flammable naphtha in September 2022. Thus managers had to shut down parts of the plant. 

The report added that the managers continued to keep a nearby crude-processing tower running until a fatal explosion and fire that evening.

In February 2023, Cenovus Energy Inc CVE completed the acquisition of the remaining 50% of the Toledo Refinery for $300 million from BP plc BP.

The interim report, expected to be officially published this week, is the third government finding suggesting a lack of employee training, unclear safety processes, decision-making by BP supervisors, or a combination of factors.

Previous findings from the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration and the Environmental Protection Agency also pointed to operational and training deficiencies as factors in the explosion.

Price Action: CVE shares are up 1.74% at $16.98 on the last check Tuesday.

Photo by OpenClipart-Vectors from Pixabay