Terrorism Ruled Out In Texas Blast

Federal Officials Examine History Of Accidents During Refinery Maintenance

(CBS/AP) 
The plant processes 433,000 barrels of crude oil a day, producing 3 percent of the U.S. gasoline supply. Other than the unit affected by the blast, the rest of the refinery was running normally. The blast would not affect the U.S. gas supply, BP officials said.

It was the deadliest in the nation's gas and chemical industry since 1990 when 17 were killed at an Arco Chemical Co. plant in nearby Channelview.

Of the injured Wednesday, many were seriously burned and suffered broken bones, with 14 workers remaining in the hospital Friday. Of those, seven were in critical condition, including some facing multiple surgeries, skin grafts and possibly amputations.

"There are several patients who are literally fighting for their lives," said Dr. Bruce Zachariah of the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston, where eight of the 18 workers still there are listed in critical condition. He said some face multiple surgeries, skin grafts and possibly amputations.

C.O. Magee, a Presbyterian minister, was trying to help mourning families deal with their anger, but sometimes all he could do was listen.

"You're caught up in the grief. You're caught up in this disaster," he said. "At times you feel sort of helpless, but it's just being there. It's being there to listen."

The BP plant and Texas City, population 40,000, have dealt with two other recent refinery accidents.

OSHA fined the refinery nearly $110,000 after two employees were burned to death by superheated water in September.

Another explosion forced the evacuation of the plant for several hours last March. Afterward, OSHA fined the refinery $63,000 for 14 safety violations, including problems with its emergency shutdown system and employee training.

According to safety experts, increased pressure on America's aging refineries may be a contributing factor to the increase in incident, Cowan reports.

"I think you see a tendency to do more with less, and not always manage safety shoulder to shoulder with the way you manage your profit margin," said Tara Hart, CEO of The Compliance Alliance.

Texas City is the site of the worst industrial accident in U.S. history. In 1947, a fire aboard a ship at the Texas City docks triggered a huge explosion that killed 576 people and left fires burning in the city for days.