Flying J has been fined $112,000 for a fatal explosion and fire that officials said occurred after a safety officer's order was reversed by a foreman.
The safety officer ordered workers not to pump fuel into pipes where welders were working in August, but the foreman gave the go-ahead and the lines exploded, state inspectors said.Contract welder Jeff White, 41, Bluffdale, was killed.
White and two other welders were repairing pipes at the North Salt Lake refinery when the explosion occurred Aug. 28.
This week, the state Industrial Commission fined Flying J $112,000 for willful violations of U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration standards. It also fined contractor Enoch Smith $900, alleging the welders failed to renew a safety permit.
The two surviving welders, John Huffman and Errol Hohrein, said the accident occurred because Flying J managers rushed to complete work on a desulfurization unit before the Labor Day weekend. The unit would ensure that fuel met new low-sulfur standards.
Plant manager Jeff Utley said Tuesday that White's death was "a terribly unfortunate accident. Certainly there must have been some mistake; no one would do that intentionally. But there was no pressure put on."
Before the explosion, a safety inspector ordered workers to wait until welders had finished before filling the pipes. But a foreman said "it would be all right" to pump hydrogen and fuel into the lines, according to the OSHA report quoted in a copyright story in the Salt Lake Tribune.
The report said an operator knew the welders were still there but said nothing to stop the foreman from reversing the safety order. The plant manager also remained silent, the report said.
The fuel flowed through the pipes at about 250 gallons per minute. It spewed from an open valve below the victim and ignited as he struck his welding arc.
"All of a sudden, a fire erupted around the employee doing the welding," the report said. Two welders below tried to help him, but "the fire was too big and hot."
The OSHA report said refinery workers removed a pipe's safety stop despite the safety director's order and without informing the welders. It also said workers failed to conduct a safety inspection when the welders returned from dinner.
"If a safety review had been conducted, the open pipe the welders were working on would have been found and the pump . . . would not have been started," the report said.
Flying J and Enoch Smith have until early November to contest the state's findings.
White's wife, Pat White, and his former co-workers referred questions to their attorneys.
"We have been waiting to see what the OSHA report had to say," said attorney John E. Hansen.