🗞️ Toxic Tank: Florida Contractor Cited After Worker Dies from Chemical Exposure in Fuel Storage Tank
A Florida petroleum tank services company faces federal citations and $60,242 in proposed fines after a worker died from exposure to benzene and toluene inside a fuel storage tank.
In July 2025, an employee of PCE Petroleum Contractors Enterprises Inc., a Land O' Lakes-based petroleum tank services firm, entered a fuel storage tank at a Lake Worth, Florida worksite and was exposed to benzene and toluene — two toxic chemicals commonly found in petroleum products. The worker later succumbed to their injuries.
Following an investigation, the U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) issued 12 serious violations against the company, citing a broad pattern of safety program failures. Investigators found that PCE Petroleum had not developed or implemented a written permit-required confined space entry program — a fundamental federal requirement for any worksite involving tanks, vaults, or other enclosed spaces with hazardous atmospheres. Employees were permitted to enter the fuel storage tank without atmospheric testing, without a required entry permit, and without adequate knowledge of the chemical hazards they were facing.
OSHA also cited the company for lacking a written respiratory protection program for workers required to wear full-face respirators, and for failing to implement a hazard communication program to inform workers about the chemicals to which they were being exposed. Benzene, a known human carcinogen found in gasoline and petroleum products, poses serious acute risks at high concentrations — including unconsciousness and death. Toluene, another petroleum-derived solvent, can similarly cause central nervous system depression and is dangerous in enclosed spaces with poor ventilation.
OSHA proposed $60,242 in penalties. PCE Petroleum has contested the citations before the independent Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission, meaning penalties and findings remain subject to adjustment as the case proceeds.
The incident reflects a recurring pattern in the petroleum services industry. OSHA standards governing permit-required confined spaces and benzene exposure have been in place for decades, yet confined space fatalities involving petroleum products continue to occur. Between 2011 and 2018, over 1,000 U.S. workers died from injuries in confined spaces, according to Bureau of Labor Statistics data.
Key Points
- A worker employed by PCE Petroleum Contractors Enterprises Inc. died after entering a fuel storage tank in Lake Worth, FL in July 2025 and being exposed to benzene and toluene
- OSHA issued 12 serious violations covering failures in confined space entry procedures, atmospheric testing, respiratory protection, and hazard communication
- The company lacked a written permit-required confined space program — a foundational OSHA requirement for work involving enclosed hazardous spaces
- Workers entered the tank without required atmospheric evaluations or entry permits
- $60,242 in penalties were proposed; PCE Petroleum has contested the citations
- Benzene is a known carcinogen; short-term high-level exposure can cause unconsciousness and death
- Confined space fatalities in petroleum and extraction industries remain a persistent occupational safety concern
Sources
Primary Source Author: U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Safety and Health Administration
Primary Source: U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Safety and Health Administration
Primary Source Link: https://www.dol.gov/newsroom/releases/osha/osha20260303
Supplemental Links
- CBS12 News: OSHA cites Florida contractor after employee dies at local worksite
- OSHA: Permit-Required Confined Spaces
- OSHA: Benzene — Overview, Health Hazards & Standards
- OSHA: Chemical Hazards and Toxic Substances
- OSHA: Respiratory Protection
- OSHA: Fatality Inspection Data
- OSHA: Hydrocarbon Gas and Vapor Hazards at Petroleum Tank Sites (PDF)
