Texas Drilling Waste Disposal Firm Cited for Safety, Health Hazards

The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration has issued 21 serious citations to Waste Facility Inc. for exposing workers to multiple safety and health hazards following an inspection at the company’s facility in Premont, Texas. Proposed penalties total $48,000.

OSHA’s Corpus Christi Area Office initiated a safety and health inspection on Oct. 12, 2010, following a complaint about the company’s facility on West County Road 431 where employees were processing waste materials without the use of respiratory protection or protective eye equipment.

The serious violations include failing to provide guardrails around pits, platforms and stairs; provide appropriate personal protective equipment such as goggles or gloves; develop a respiratory protection program; provide a confined space entry program and procedures; and develop and implement a hazard communication program.

Waste Facility Inc., which employs about 21 workers in Premont, cleans vacuum trucks and fractionation tanks associated with oil and gas operations.

The company has 15 business days from receipt of citations to comply, request an informal conference with OSHA’s area director in Corpus Christi or contest the citations and proposed penalties before the independent Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission.

Source: OSHA