TUMWATER — A hearing is scheduled to start next week on Tesoro Corp.’s appeal of violations and $2.3 million fine after the 2010 explosion at its refinery in Anacortes that killed seven workers.
The Washington State Department of Labor & Industries says an industrial appeals judge will hear arguments starting Tuesday in Mount Vernon.
State officials say the explosion was one of Washington’s worst industrial disasters and was preventable. The agency cited Tesoro for 39 willful violations and five serious violations of workplace safety and health regulations. The $2.39 million fine was the largest ever issued by the agency.
Tesoro appealed in 2010, but over the past five years, numerous legal motions delayed the hearing start date.
The hearing is scheduled to take months and is expected to conclude in December.
