SHELL OIL COMPANY

According to U.S. Department of Labor enforcement records, SHELL OIL COMPANY — a industry sector 00 facility located at 1205 RIVER RD, NORCO, LA 70079 — was the subject of a formal OSHA inspection that resulted in 24 citation(s) and cumulative proposed penalties of $205,230.00. The inspection case was opened on 1988-05-05.

Cumulative penalties significantly exceed the national median for OSHA enforcement actions. The penalty amount suggests multiple high-gravity citations, indicating conditions that presented a substantial probability of death or serious physical harm to employees.

Industry Benchmark: The total penalty of $205,230.00 is more than 171.6× the national average of $1,195.75 for facilities in the Other sector (NAICS 000000). This sector encompasses 1,316,687 inspected facilities nationwide with aggregate penalties totaling $1,574.4M.

State Context: Within LA, this facility's penalty places it at the 100th percentile among 19,587 inspected facilities. The statewide average penalty is $3,582.10.

Citation Analysis: The inspection produced 24 citations spanning 5 distinct OSHA regulatory standards. The citation breakdown includes: 15 unclassified — A technical violation that does not fit neatly into the standard classification categories.

Enforcement Timeline: Citations were issued beginning February 16, 1995 with the latest abatement deadline set for October 1, 1995. Of the 24 total citations, 15 (63%) have been marked as abated in DOL records, suggesting partial progress toward required corrective actions.

Penalty Assessment: The cumulative penalty of $205,230.00 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 $8,551.25 falls within the standard penalty range.

The inspection of the Shell Norco facility, initiated on the date of a catastrophic 1988 refinery explosion, reveals a profound breakdown in hazard communication and process safety management. The overwhelming concentration of the $205,230 penalty—a staggering