Buyers Beware

Last year, Petroleos de Venezuela SA (PDVSA) contracted the DuPont Co. to give 290,000 hours of safety-related training to workers last year as part of $160 million safety investment, according to the Associated Press Worldstream. It must not have worked. PDVSA has acknowledged that "the rate of accidents at the Paraguana refining complex, Venezuela's largest, is well above that of the international refining industry" (Associated Press Worldstream, 7/31/06). Within one year there have been numerous fires and worker deaths and injuries, including a large fire that recently occurred on July 17, 2006. Months before, in another fire one worker was killed and four were injured, and many workers have been inured carrying out maintenance (Energy Compass, 7/31/06).

Fire extinguished at major Venezuelan oil refinery (Associated Press Worldstream, July 17, 2006)

PDV hires outside help after string of accidents (Energy Compass, July 21, 2006)

Concerns mount about safety record at Venezuelan oil refinery (Associated Press Worldstream, July 31, 2006)


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	Last year, Petroleos de Venezuela SA (PDVSA) contracted the DuPont Co. to give 290,000 hours of safety-related training to workers last year as part of $160 million safety investment, according to the Associated Press Worldstream. It must not have worked. PDVSA has acknowledged that "the rate of accidents at the Paraguana refining complex, Venezuela's largest, is well above that of the international refining industry" (Associated Press Worldstream, 7/31/06). Within one year there have been numerous fires and worker deaths and injuries, including a large fire that recently occurred on July 17, 2006. Months before, in another fire one worker was killed and four were injured, and many workers have been inured carrying out maintenance (Energy Compass, 7/31/06). Fire extinguished at major Venezuelan oil refinery (Associated Press Worldstream, July 17, 2006) PDV hires outside help after string of accidents (Energy Compass, July 21, 2006) Concerns mount about safety record at Venezuelan oil refinery (Associated Press Worldstream, July 31, 2006)