Gulf of Mexico Oil Worker Fatality Under Investigation
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The Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE) said that an oil and gas worker employed by Talos Energy succumb to wounds he received while on the job. The worker was reportedly replacing pipes when he was wounded and died later that day as a result of the incident. Unfortunately, he was injured while trying to maintain a safe workplace environment by replacing out-of-service fire suppression equipment. Talos said the accident was an isolated event and no other employees were injured.
Energy Resource Technology (ERT), a Talos subsidiary, operates the platform 65 miles south of the Texas-Louisiana border.
Talos’ Recent Safety Concerns
The federal government released a statement two days after the incident declaring they would investigate the death of the Talos worker. The BSEE will look into the cause of the accident, how the occurrence wounded the worker, and how to prevent similar happenings in the future.
This accident concerns the federal government due to Talos’ recent failures in safety. In 2016, Talos was fined $4 million for violating federal environmental and safety laws. The BSEE found Talos’ ERT to be guilty of two counts of failing to comply with regulations concerning hot work and blowout preventer testing. Additionally, ERT pled guilty to violations of the Clean Water Act due to illegal waste dumping in the Gulf of Mexico and tampering with the collection of water discharge samples. The most concerning aspect of Talos’ failure to comply with blowout preventer testing is that a failure in blowout prevention was a leading cause of the 2010 Deepwater Horizon explosion.
"This is a tragic event, and we extend our deepest sympathies to the family, friends, and co-workers of our colleague,” said Talos in a prepared statement.