Pipe-Fitter Certification Rejected

Torrance City Council members Tuesday rejected a proposal to create a city certification process for pipe fitters, a program Councilman Mark Wirth had promoted as a way to improve safety at the Mobil Oil refinery.

However, council members instructed city staff to continue exploring whether similar programs exist and to lobby in Sacramento for improved state regulation of pipe fitters.

In their report to the City Council on Wirth’s proposal, staff members cautioned that it would be expensive to create a set of uniform piping codes similar to the city’s plumbing code. Staff members also feared that the city might be held liable if a certified pipe fitter made a mistake.

Wirth said he hopes further research eventually will lead to an acceptable certification program.