Report: Regulatory gaps and Chevron's flawed safety culture contributed to 2012 fire

Federal investigators say a 2012 fire at a Chevron refinery in the San Francisco Bay Area was the result of shortcomings in the company's safety culture and gaps in regulatory guidelines.

The U.S. Chemical Safety Board says in a final draft report released Thursday the fire that stemmed from a corroded pipe at Chevron's Richmond refinery was magnified by the inadequate response by company emergency crews.

The San Jose Mercury News reports (http://bit.ly/1CkJbDl ) investigators listed in a 132-page report a series of missteps by the refinery that led to the blaze.

They include the failure in the 10 years before the August 2012 fire to follow recommendations to inspect and upgrade vulnerable piping systems that eventually ruptured.

The fire prompted more than 15,000 people to seek treatment for respiratory problems.

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Information from: The San Jose (Calif.) Mercury News, http://www.mercurynews.com