By Doug Cunningham

The United Steelworkers union says since 15 workers were killed and 180 injured in the British Petroleum explosion and fire in Texas City, Texas in 2005 the industry response to safety hazards pervasive in U.S. oil refineries has been anemic. USW President, Leo Gerard says a new union survey of safety practices at U.S. refineries shows there’s an alarming potential for future disasters and companies need to work with the union on a comprehensive overhaul of oil refinery safety practices.

[Gerard]: “It's a wake-up call to the industry and as the United Steel Workers we're prepared to work hand in hand with them to improve the safety conditions and the standards in every refinery, whether it's represented by us or not."

The night before the USW released its safety survey a fire at an oil pipeline in Minnesota killed two USW workers. Gerard says in addition to companies improving their process safety standards, the government's Occupational Safety and Health Administration needs to step up enforcement.

[Gerard2]: "There's really been almost a walking away by OSHA's senior managers of the process safety standards that should have been followed."