San Francisco Injury Lawyer Blog
At the Brod Law Firm, we are concerned with the health and safety of all who live in and visit Northern California. We believe wholeheartedly in “Prevention First” and we would much rather see accidents avoided than see clients after the fact. Still, we are also committed to victims. We represent people who are injured or grieving because of the actions (or inaction) of a negligent person or careless company. Our dual commitment can be seen in our work as an Oakland refinery accident law firm. We advocate for refinery safety in the hopes of preventing refinery accidents. We also represent people injured in refinery fires, harmed by toxic gases released from area refineries, or otherwise injured because a refinery failed to take preventative measures.
Report Criticizes Tesoro Refinery for “Safety Culture Deficiencies”
Earlier this week, ABC7 reported on the release of a new federal report that criticizes officials at Tesoro Martinez Refinery for promoting a lax safety culture. The U.S. Chemical Safety Board (“CSB”) cited 15 separate acid spills at 
the refinery during a five-year span including the 2014 spill during which two refinery employees were burned and some 84,000 pounds of sulfuric acid were released. According to the CSB’s chairwoman, “While these incidents may appear to be isolated events, they are indicative of safety culture deficiencies at the Tesoro Martinez Refinery.” Likewise, one of the lead investigators suggested that sampling systems used by the refinery “routinely exposed operators to avoidable risk.”