Bakersfield Refinery - Kern Oil
Kern Oil & Refining Company owns one of three refineries located in Bakersfield, California. The plant is in Kern County, which is incredibly rich in natural oil resources. This Bakersfield facility was first established in 1934, under the ownership of the El Tejon Oil & Refining Company. Between 1943 and 1971 the refinery was sold to several different companies before finally ending up under the control of Charter Oil Company, who later changed their name to Kern Oil. Their facility is capable of producing up to 25,000 barrels of crude oil on a daily basis.
In 2006, Kern Oil finished a long term project that not only expanded their production capabilities, but also turned the plant into a safer and more environmentally friendly work place. The facility was now able to produce ultra low sulfur diesel fuel, and greatly reduced the amount of pollution produced in the refining process.
Tragedy struck the plant in 2005 when an explosion at the facility killed on employee and killed two others. This occurred not long after several other incidents at the facility, including small fires and oil leaks. Investigators looked into the cause of the explosion, as well as the other problems that seemed to be prevalent at the refinery. Kern Oil was fined $80,000 by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration after they cited 11 separate violatios. Aside from the fine, Kern Oil was required to make several improvements to increase the level of safety and environmental awareness throughout the plant.
Another potential disaster struck the refinery in December of 2007 when a fire erupted within a section of the company's pipeline. Large flames shot up from the piping, and local fire fighters and Haz Mat crews were called in to deal with the blaze. It took several hours to bring the fire under control, and the air was tested for dangerous toxins, but considered to be safe. There were no injuries as a result of this fire, but it did raise further questions and concerns about the safety of this plant.
Aside from the more recent problems that have hit the Kern Oil Bakersfield refinery, an issue from many years ago continues to affect the people who worked at this location. The issue stems from the former use of products that were made out of asbestos, which was a common component in many items at one time. It was later discovered, however, that asbestos is a hazardous material that can cause cancer (most notably, mesothelioma) and respiratory damage. People who worked around products that contained asbestos were put at risk of unknowingly inhaling microscopic particles of this potentially deadly material. It can take a very long time for signs of damage to appear, so even people who were exposed to asbestos years ago may still be at risk, which makes it essential for all former employees of this refinery to be checked out by their healthcare provider.
Last modified: December 09, 2009.
