美國勞工部職業安全和健康管理局(OSHA)12日宣布，2005年在德州德克薩斯市發生爆炸的英國石油製品北美公司(BP Products North America Inc.)，將付出5060萬美金的罰款，在那場事故中，有15名工人喪生，170人受傷。
這項協議解決了在2009年做的後續調查中發現的，「未能積極預防」問題。
2005年3月，英國石油在德克薩斯市發生了致命的爆炸案，職安健康管理局在同年9月對英國石油處以當時史上最高的罰金，高達2100萬美金。
課處罰金之後，雙方簽訂了一項協議，要求該公司確定並改正缺失。
但職安健康管理局在2009年的後續調查中發現，雖然該公司在安全方面做出了許多改變，但該公司仍然未能達成協議中的幾個重要部份。
因此，職安健康管理局以英國石油公司「未積極解決問題」的理由，對其開出總計5060萬美金的罰款，而英國石油公司已經已經同意支付。
在2009年對德克薩斯煉油廠的同一份調查中，職安健康管理局還發現了439個新的蓄意違約，而追加了超過3000萬美金的罰款。
職安健康審查委員會在訴訟前對那些關於違約行為與處罰調查仍在進行中，並不會影響18日的判決。
在2009年10月，職安健康管理局對英國石油在德克薩斯工廠案的調查結果，開出了8740萬美金的罰款。
罰款的總金額之中，5670萬美金是針對英國石油未能減少造成2005年爆炸案的背後原因。
而職安健康管理局的錯誤在於原先只開出609萬美金的罰款。
2009年11月，美國勞工部律師在準備提交職業安全及健康委員會的審查文件時，無意中發現該局對29個重複的「未能積極預防」缺失，僅開出609萬美金罰款。
因此罰款調整為5060萬美金，仍是有史以來職安健康管理局所開出，並且企業願意支付的最高罰款金額。
除了繳納這項高額的罰款外，英國石油已同意立即採取措施，以保護現在在煉油廠工作的員工，同意至少花費5億美元在這方面做出努力。
「這項協議達成了我們保護煉油廠工人的目的，並確保儘早對重要安全措施的升級，」勞工部長索利斯(Hilda Solis)說，「罰金的多寡反應出英國石油對於工作廠所安全漠視的程度，也表達我們將嚴格執法，讓員工在一天勞累之後，能安全返家。」
根據協議，英國石油公司將立即按照日程表的安排，執行執行煉油廠設備的安全審查，並且對缺失做出永久的更正。
該協議也對英國石油的安全計畫，提出了前所未有的審查機制，包括定期與職安健康管理局會議，頻繁的現場檢查並且對管理局提出季度報告。
最後，在加強對企業工作場所的安全性方面，英國石油公司同意在北美與倫敦公司之間，建立董事會與職安健康管理局之間的聯繫，以提升遵守約定的程度到最高的等級。
「這項協議對煉油廠帶來更安全的環境條件，應該遠遠超出一般透過罰金來達成減少錯誤的目的」，職安健康管理局副局長麥克斯(David Michaels)博士說，「不容犯錯，職安健康管理局會密切監督，以確保英國石油履行協議，並保障員工安全。」
BP Products North America Inc. will pay a penalty of $50.6 million stemming from the 2005 explosion at its Texas City, Texas, refinery that killed 15 workers and injured 170 others, the U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration announced today.
The agreement resolves failure-to-abate citations issued after a 2009 follow-up investigation.
In September 2005, OSHA cited BP for a then-record $21 million as a result of the fatal explosion at its Texas City refinery in March 2005.
Upon issuance of the citations, the parties entered into an agreement that required the company to identify and to correct deficiencies.
In the 2009 follow-up investigation, OSHA found that although the company made many changes related to safety, it failed to live up to several important terms of that agreement.
As a result, OSHA cited BP for "failure to abate" violations with penalties totaling a record $50.6 million that BP now has agreed to pay.
During that same 2009 investigation at the Texas City refinery, OSHA also identified 439 new willful violations and assessed more than $30 million in penalties.
Litigation before the Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission regarding those violations and penalties is ongoing and is not impacted by today's settlement.
In October 2009, OSHA announced $87.4 million in penalties against BP resulting from its inspection of the Texas City plant.
Of that total amount, $56.7 million in penalties was levied for BP's failure to abate the hazards behind the fatal 2005 explosion.
But OSHA was in error with respect to $6.09 million of that total.
In November 2009, U.S. Department of Labor attorneys, in preparation for filing with the Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission, discovered that the department inadvertently had assessed 29 duplicate "failure-to-abate" violations totaling $6.09 million.
The penalty was therefore adjusted to $50.6 million, still the highest fine ever issued by OSHA and paid by an employer.
In addition to paying the record fine, BP has agreed to take immediate steps to protect employees now working at the refinery, allocating a minimum of $500 million to that effort.
"This agreement achieves our goal of protecting workers at the refinery and ensuring that critical safety upgrades are made as quickly as possible," said Secretary of Labor Hilda Solis. "The size of the penalty rightly reflects BP's disregard for workplace safety and shows that we will enforce the law so workers can return home safe at the end of their day."
Under the agreement, BP immediately will begin performing safety reviews of the refinery equipment according to set schedules and make permanent corrections.
The agreement provides an unprecedented level of oversight of BP's safety program including regular meetings with OSHA, frequent site inspections and the submission of quarterly reports for the agency's review.
Finally, in a step toward workplace safety corporate-wide, BP agrees to establish a liaison between its North American and London boards of directors and OSHA, which will allow the agency to raise compliance problems at the highest level.
"Safer conditions at this refinery should result from this arrangement, which goes far beyond what can normally be achieved through abatement of problems identified in citations," said Assistant Secretary of Labor for OSHA Dr. David Michaels. "Make no mistake, OSHA will be watching to ensure that BP complies with the agreement and safeguards its workers."
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