Company Involved in Barge Explosion Has History with OSHA

Last week, we brought the story of a barge explosion on a river in Mobile, Alabama, in which three workers were severely burned. One of the workers, Casey Tyson, is listed in fair condition and is expected to be released from the University of South Alabama Medical Center, but Justin Benoit and George Erickson were both listed in critical condition at the same hospital, according to Alabama Online.

The company that was responsible for the explosion, Oil Recovery Co., has had issues in the past with the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). Oil Recovery Co. was fined $1,000 by OSHA in 1991 for several safety violations. During the inspection that resulted in that fine, OSHA determined that Oil Recovery Co. failed to provide workers with personal protective equipment and failed to have designated employees with knowledge of OSHA rules and regulations. OSHA also cited the company for violating lead exposure regulations in 1997.

It is not yet clear whether any of these regulations had anything to do with April’s barge explosion, but it demonstrates the culture at Oil Recovery Co.

Please visit our site for more information on workers comp and hazardous working conditions. If you or a loved one has been injured at work, you may be eligible for workers compensation benefits.

Larrimer & Larrimer, LLC—Columbus Workers Comp Attorneys