San Antonio-based oil refining giant Valero Energy Corp. and three contractors working at its San Francisco Bay-area refinery face combined fines totaling more than $1.75 million for multiple state safety violations—including a number of willful and serious infractions—which ed to the confined space death of a 35-year-old worker in November 2021.
Investigators from California’s Division of Occupational Safety and Health (Cal/OSHA) issued the violations against Valero’s Benicia, Calif., refinery, where the incident occurred; industrial workplace safety consultant Total Safety of Houston; Texas; refractory contractor JT Thorpe & Son Inc., of Richmond, Calif.; and general contractor T.R.S.C. Inc., of Vallejo, Calif.
