Four Employers Fined a Combined $1.75M for Death of Valero Refinery Worker

The California Division of Occupational Safety and Health’s Process Safety Management Unit cited Valero Refinery of Benicia and three contractors a combined $1.75 million for safety violations following the death of a 35-year-old worker. Luis Gutierrez suffocated in a regenerator overflow well in November 2021. The agency commonly referred to as Cal/OSHA said he went into the well for an evaluation and to prepare it for a welding crew. “Inspectors determined that a welding torch was left in the well that was leaking argon, an odorless gas that displaced oxygen inside the con...