OSHA finds multiple safety violations at Poet Biorefining-Hudson

November 4, 2016 |

In South Dakota, federal investigators found multiple safety violations at a South Dakota ethanol refinery expansion project after a 38-year-old pipefitter suffered fatal burn injuries when ethanol spilled from a process pipe he was working on and was ignited by flames from nearby welding operations.

On Nov. 1, 2016, the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration issued five serious safety violations to the worker’s employer Bilfinger-Westcon, the project’s construction contractor. Inspectors determined the contractor allowed welding work to occur without verifying that the area was free of flammable liquids.

OSHA cited the refinery operator and owner, Sioux River Ethanol LLC which operates as Poet Biorefining-Hudson, for three serious violations of OSHA’s process safety management standards including failing to ensure the process pipe being removed did not contain ethanol.

Category: Fuels

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