Clairton Coke Works near Pittsburgh has faced federal scrutiny after OSHA issued an investigation report tied to an August explosion that killed two workers. In the agency’s findings released this week, OSHA said U.S. Steel had safety failures involving the procedures, practices and training workers used to maintain equipment and flush a gas valve ahead of routine planned maintenance. OSHA said those failures “exposed” employees to an explosion or explosion hazard when the valve ruptured.
OSHA said the valve ruptured while workers were flushing the gas valve, and that the blast released combustible coke oven gas. OSHA said it documented a set of shortcomings in how U.S. Steel prepared for the task and how it trained workers and maintained the process. The agency said the report also included another citation related to U.S. Steel’s failure to provide required records within a specified time after the explosion.
OSHA said it fined U.S. Steel a total of $118,214 and issued 10 citations in connection with the investigation. The agency said it gave U.S. Steel deadlines to correct the shortcomings it identified and that the company could contest the findings in an informal conference.
U.S. Steel said in a statement that it was reviewing OSHA’s report. The company did not say whether it agreed or disagreed with OSHA’s findings, but said it would continue its dialogue with OSHA and other agencies involved. The statement also said safety is a core value and shapes the company’s culture.
The Chemical Safety Board, another federal agency investigating the explosion, said it continues to investigate. That work comes as the blast added to other incidents at the Clairton plant over time, according to reporting cited in OSHA’s broader case context.
Union officials also responded to the OSHA findings. United Steelworkers district director Bernie Hall said the union was “grateful to OSHA for thoroughly investigating the tragic incident that cost two lives and impacted many others,” adding that the union is dedicated to working with management to implement OSHA’s recommendations, including those that incorporate process safety management.
Separately, U.S. Steel’s Mon Valley Works vice president Kurt Barshick told residents in October that workers were trapped “3,000 PSI water inside of a valve that’s rated for 50 PSI” and said the valve cracked and gas filled the area. The blast’s timing and the way workers were preparing to service the valve became central to OSHA’s allegations of process-safety gaps, with OSHA describing the rupture and the release of coke oven gas as the immediate trigger.
OSHA’s report arrives amid a longer-running record of regulatory conflict involving the Clairton facility, including legal battles between U.S. Steel and Allegheny County regulators that have accused the company of flouting environmental rules, according to the reporting cited alongside the OSHA probe.