Two workers were hurt last month in an explosion at a hydraulic fracturing tank site in south Texas. OSHA regulators cited the company that owns the site, Vann Energy Services LLC, for what inspectors called serious health and safety violations at the facility. The men were cleaning a tank at the maintenance facility that holds hydraulic fracturing or fracking tanks in Nixon, Texas, when the blast happened.

According to OSHA, the company required workers to enter a fracturing tank for cleaning without first testing for atmospheric hazards or training them on the hazards of confined spaces. It was stated by OSHA that “confined space and electrical hazards like the ones found at this site can kill workers.”

OSHA had proposed fining Vann Energy $70,200 for 17 serious violations in February. The citations included failures to maintain electrical conductors and cords; to ensure electrical equipment such as fans were approved for hazardous places; and to provide covers for open pits. The violations also included failure to provide workers with proper protective clothing and chemical hazard training. Vann Energy provides trucking and oilfield support services, including cleaning fracturing tanks, at the Nixon site.

Source: Insurance Journal