The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) proposed the Williams Geismar, Louisiana Olefins plant pay $99,000 in fines after its investigation concluding that the plant had violated six process safety management standards in regards to an explosion over the summer that left two people dead and more than 100 others wounded.

"Williams Olefins violated safety and health standards which, when followed, can protect workers from hazardous chemicals," said Dorinda Folse, OSHA's area director in Baton Rouge in a release. "It is the employer's responsibility to find and fix workplace safety violations and to ensure the safety of its workers. Failing to do so cost two workers their lives."

One of violations that the company was sited for “a willful violation” which means that the company had not developed “clear, written procedures for how to change and put idle pressure vessels into service.” Violations become willful when a company is knowledgeable about the law’s requirements on a matter and disregards it with without concern for worker wellbeing or safety.

The other five violations according to the OSHA report were, “inadvertently mixing hot quench water with propylene; failing to provide appropriate pressure protection for a pressure vessel; complete a process hazard analysis to address the opening of hot quench water flow into a pressure vessel; properly document workplace training; and promptly correct deficiencies related to process safety management discovered by an internal compliance audit team. A serious violation occurs when there is substantial probability that death or serious physical harm could result from a hazard about which the employer knew or should have known.”

Williams Olefins has 15 business days from receipt of the citations and penalties to comply, request an informal conference with OSHA's Baton Rouge area director, or contest the findings before the independent Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission. The report was released December 11.

John Dearborn, senior vice president, natural gas liquids and petchem services responded by saying that William was cooperative with the investigation and is currently reviewing the OSHA findings.

"In addition to conducting our own internal incident investigation, we are committed to learning from OSHA's report to further enhance safety at the Geismar plant and across our organization," he said in a company statement.

The June 2013 was the first set of violations the Geismar Olefins plant had since 2009.

"Safety and the protection of employees and communities in which Williams does business is, and always has been, our number one priority," Dearborn continued. "We are committed to safely completing the rebuild and expansion work now underway, and to bringing the expanded plant into safe and reliable operations for the benefit of the plant's employees, contractors, the community and customers."

It was not released whether Williams will be complying and paying the fine, requesting an informal conference with OSHA's Baton Rouge area director, or contesting the findings but the company has said that it is executing a plan to rebuild, turnaround and expand the Geismar Olefins plant by April, 2014.