AMOCO OIL COMPANY

According to U.S. Department of Labor enforcement records, AMOCO OIL COMPANY — a industry sector 00 facility located at 2410 5TH AVENUE, SOUTH, TEXAS CITY, TX 77592 — was the subject of a formal OSHA inspection that resulted in 38 citation(s) and cumulative proposed penalties of $70,500.00. The inspection case was opened on 1992-04-06.

Federal investigators determined that one or more violations at this facility were committed willfully — meaning the employer either knowingly failed to comply with OSHA standards or acted with plain indifference to employee safety. Willful violations carry the highest penalty multipliers under the OSH Act.

State Context: Within TX, this facility's penalty places it at the 100th percentile among 119,485 inspected facilities. The statewide average penalty is $3,783.80.

Citation Analysis: The inspection produced 38 citations spanning 10 distinct OSHA regulatory standards. The citation breakdown includes: 10 serious — A workplace hazard that could cause death or serious physical harm exists, and the employer knew or should have known about the condition. 4 other-than-serious — The violation has a direct relationship to job safety and health but is unlikely to cause death or serious physical harm. 1 willful — The employer intentionally and knowingly committed the violation, demonstrating either an intentional disregard for the requirements of the OSH Act or plain indifference to employee safety and health.

Enforcement Timeline: Citations were issued beginning March 30, 1992 with the latest abatement deadline set for December 18, 1992. Of the 38 total citations, 15 (39%) have been marked as abated in DOL records, which may indicate ongoing compliance gaps requiring further regulatory attention.

Penalty Assessment: The cumulative penalty of $70,500.00 reflects OSHA's gravity-based penalty calculation methodology, which considers the severity of potential injury, the probability of occurrence, the employer's size, good faith, and violation history. The per-citation average of $1,855.26 falls within the standard penalty range.

The enforcement profile for this Amoco Oil Company inspection revealed a pervasive breakdown in process safety management and administrative oversight, characteristic of high-hazard petrochemical environments. The presence of a willful violation under 1904.0002(a) is particularly significant; it demonstrates that management possessed a heightened awareness of recordkeeping requirements yet intentionally or with plain indifference failed to document occupational injuries. This legal classification elevates the facility’s risk profile, as willful citations serve as foundational evidence for enhanced penalties in future repeat inspections. Substantively, the concentration of serious violations under 1910.106 regarding the storage and handling of flammable liquids, combined with 1910.303 electrical standards, indicated a volatile operational environment. These citations suggest systemic failures in containing hazardous energy and preventing ignition sources in proximity to volatile materials. The gravity ratings assigned to these electrical and flammable liquid standards reflect an immediate potential for catastrophic fire or explosion events. Furthermore, the sheer volume of 38 citations across disparate standards—ranging from machine guarding to emergency response—pointed toward a decentralized safety culture where routine compliance was secondary to production. The $70,500 penalty, while substantial for the early 1990s, underscored OSHA’s attempt to penalize what it viewed as a chronic disregard for the fundamental pillars of industrial hygiene and process safety.