edures have not been established.”The Avon explosion clearly demonstrates the problems they encountered without a uniform strategy. In 1997, there was a fire that broke lose at the Avon Refinery. Tosco still did not implement any changes in their operating procedures. San Francisco Examiners states, “Tosco Corporation’s Management was unwilling to shut down production to ensure the safety of workers.” It was not until the recent explosion on February 23, 1999, where they finally realized that change was inevitable. Four workers were killed and another critically injured when a fireball engulfed them while they attempted to repair a leak in a pipe. According to the CA Occupational Safety and Health Administration and contra Costa County, ”Since 1983, seven workers have been killed in the 86- year old refinery.” It was imperative to implement a standard operating procedure immediately. These tragedies, finally made Tosco realize that they needed to adopt a universal standard operating procedure. They decided to implement the Dupont Standards. Safety Standards and Quality Control by DupontTosco models their safety standards and regulations after Dupont Corporation. Dupont’s commitment to safety is the best in the oil industry; their goal is zero injuries, illnesses and incidents. Dupont states, "We believe that all injuries and occupational illnesses, as well as safety and environmental incidents, are preventable, and our goal for all of them is zero. Dupont pledges to their safety standards and firmly believes that good safety practices are instrumental to productivity and quality. Tosco has developed a strategy for safety. Most of which are contained in their Hazardous Material Management Plans (HMMP’s) and the Risk Management Plans (RMP’s). Both of which are mandatory by government agencies and indicate certain guidelines for the containment of hazardous materials. The ...
