A “temporary clamp” that was four (4) years old led to an HF Leak which initiated the OSHA inspection. The leak was related to a temporary clamp that was installed on a three-inch nozzle flange following an earlier leak in 2011. The nozzle was not replaced until January, 2016. The three citations include one willful-serious, indicating the employer was aware of the hazardous condition and did not take reasonable steps to address it, and two general citations for the failure to conduct a hazard analysis and identify and address the 2011 leak. The refinery mitigated the leak caused by the faulty clamp within 48 hours of the release. The company also removed tank 5C-31 from service, where the faulty nozzle was attached, to make repairs. Before the refinery was allowed to restart operations in January, a complete inspection of the alkylation unit was conducted to ensure there were no additional leaking flanges or nozzles. CLICK HERE for the full announcement.