Woods Cross Refining Silver Eagle
Woods Cross, Utah is home to two oil refineries. One is owned by the Silver Eagle Refining, and has been in operation since the 1950's. It is a small plant that employs a minimal amount of workers and produces up to 10,000 barrels of crude oil each day of operation. Although the facility does not have a large staff, the plant is run 24 hours a day and 7 days a week.
This refinery is nowhere near the size of its major competitors, but it has still faced many of the same problems. Among them was the presence of products that were made from a naturally occurring material called asbestos. Asbestos was used in hundreds of products when it was first discovered, and it was very popular in work sites such as oil refineries because it was able to stand up to intense heat.
As useful as asbestos proved to be, it was later discovered to be highly toxic. People can easily inhale tiny particles of asbestos without even realizing it, and over time that can be the cause of major respiratory damage, and a potentially deadly form of cancer known as mesothelioma. When the toxic nature of the material was discovered, all of the products that were made with asbestos were removed from the Woods Cross Refinery. It is important, however, for anyone who worked at the plant while these products were in use to see their doctor and explain that they may have been exposed to asbestos.
A fire erupted at the plant in May of 2007 on a Sunday evening. The flames shot high into the air and produced a large cloud of black smoke that could be seen for miles. Local fire fighting crews were deployed to the scene, and managed to bring the fire under control within 15 minutes. No one was injured during the incident, but the fire did damage some of the plant equipment. The site continued to operate at partial capacity while repairs were made.
Silver Eagle Refining Inc. works hard to ensure the safety of their employees, and to comply with environmental standards as set by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). As of 2008, the facility was beginning to utilize emission detectors that are able to measure the amount of pollutants that the facility is producing. One of the most helpful solutions the plant has begun to utilize is a simulator unit that specializes in detecting the levels of Benzene that come from the facility. Benzene is a toxic chemical that is known to cause life threatening diseases, so it is essential to monitor these levels and keep them under control. The EPA continues to work with the Woods Cross facility to ensure that all existing standards and safety precautions are being met.
Last modified: December 09, 2009.
