Benzene Bandits Bullet#1

In March of 2020, the Alyeska Pipeline Service Company was found in violation of “protective” worker rights, with respect to allowing for on-the-job unsafe working conditions, a fine of $64,000 at the company’s Valdez Marine Terminal. OK, in dollars and cents, it meant a fine equivalent to 0.43% of that day’s delivery of North Slope Crude Oil. OK, and Alyeska’s legal team was allowed to “contest” that fine and get away with, drum roll please, a pittance 0.18% fine! This facility is the END of the 800-mile long Trans-Alaska-Pipeline-System. It meant 5 “SERIOUS” violations in the “Gravity 10” category, for routinely exposing the workers to "BENZENE". The latter listed by the EPA as a “Hazardous Air Pollutant” that which is known to cause cancer. Now that reduction, through Alyeska “contesting” the original $fine$, well it is based on a violator minding those P’s & Q’s and staying out of trouble through proper “abatement”. The DOL wants to work with the industry to get things resolved, so “contesting” fines is allowed, but please don’t get caught doing the same thing again! So then in May of the same year due a “Complaint” lodged by a dedicated to safety worker with the “Union”, well low and behold now Alyeska was facing a $404,602 fine, for the same damn violations, exposing the workers to “BENZENE". This time around It meant 31 “SERIOUS” violations in the “Gravity 10” category, for continuing to expose the workers to "BENZENE". At the present time, once again Alyeska’s legal team is “contesting” those violation citations. What it means, more cancer deaths for those workers!

But wait there is more! Now take into account the Alyeska contract workforce at the Valdez Marine Terminal – still that very large BENZENE generator at the end of it all – contractors that went along for the joy ride with Alyeska, to give not a damn about the workers with respect to the TAPS operator’s addiction to expose the workforce to a career augmented by this cancer-causing nemesis. Drum roll please, an additional $269,633 in fines, chalk up another 26 “SERIOUS” violations in that “Gravity 10” scenario, for the same damn thing – BENZENE exposure! It is time to “Expose” this BENZENE exposure dilemma, it is “Over-Time Exposure” and only a $350-Million “Liability” lawsuit will suffice to mend the so far harm. And it appears that each and every week, another BENZENE exposed victim finds that “Obituary” a last remaining friend.