Refinery explosion lead to legislative bills

AP TEXAS NEWS May 16, 2007, 12:32PM © 2007 The Associated Press
WASHINGTON — Two Texas lawmakers have introduced legislation in response to the 2005 explosion at BP PLC's Texas City plant that killed 15 people, calling for stricter employer reporting procedures on accidents and harsher penalties for safety violations.

Rep. Gene Green, D-Houston, has proposed a bill that would require employers to report contract workers' injuries, deaths and illnesses to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration.

"When I tried to find out why the refinery exploded and learn more about the people who were killed, I discovered that BP had not reported the deaths to OSHA," Green said in a statement. "It turns out they didn't have to report them because the workers were contractors."

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