Inbrief

Energy giant BP has been fined $87million (£51m, €58m) for safety violations at a Texas refinery. The record fine was imposed by the US Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) when it found the company guilty of safety shortfalls at its Texas City refinery, where an accident killed 15 workers and injured 170 in 2005. BP is contesting the decision, saying it has honoured an agreement with the OSHA to remedy the safety problems that led to the blast. The OSHA, however, said BP’s commitment to health and safety had ‘waned’, while the US labour secretary Hilda Solis said the company ‘has allowed hundreds of potential hazards to continue unabated’.