BP fined $87 million by OSHA in 2005 Texas blast

http://www.marketwatch.com/story/bp-may-appeal-87-million-fine-in-texas-blast-2009-10-30

Oct. 30, 2009, 10:37 a.m. EDT

By Steve Gelsi, MarketWatch

NEW YORK (MarketWatch) -- The Occupational Safety and Health Administration levied the largest fine in its history as it slapped British oil giant BP with an $87 million penalty for workplace violations in connection with the 2005 Texas City refinery blast that killed 15 people and injured 170, according to reports on Friday.

A person close to the company said it was considering an appeal to the decision, according to reports.

The fine marks the latest in a series of big legal costs in connection with the explosion. Two years ago, BP /quotes/comstock/13*!bp/quotes/nls/bp (BP 58.43, -0.10, -0.17%) moved to pay a $50 million criminal fine. It was the biggest ever charged under the Clean Air Act.

The new fine comes on top of a $21 million OSHA payment in 2005. It's also settled thousands of civil claims related to the blast.

BP said it was disappointed with OSHA's citations.

"We believe our efforts to improve process safety performance have been among the most strenuous and comprehensive that the refining industry has ever seen," the company said in published reports.

FULL story at link.