The United Steelworkers (USW) today lauded the California Occupational Safety and Health Administration (CalOSHA) for nearly $1 million in fines and citations the department issued against Chevron in response to a fire last summer at the company's refinery in Richmond, Calif. 

The Aug. 6 incident produced a huge cloud of smoke across the San Francisco Bay area, sending more than 1,000 residents to hospitals with shortness of breath and dizziness, causing more than 100,000 others to be temporarily confined to their homes, and pushing gas prices in the region past $4.50 a gallon.

"While nobody was killed or seriously injured, we know that if the circumstances had been just slightly different, that certainly would not be the case," said USW International President Leo W. Gerard. "We hope these citations ensure that this never happens again, because next time we might not be so lucky." Click here for more.