Offshore staff
NEW ORLEANS – Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE) Gulf of Mexico Regional Director Lars Herbst has established two panels to investigate two serious incidents that occurred last week in the Gulf of Mexico.
The first investigation will focus on a man-overboard/missing person incident that occurred Wednesday at Eugene Island block 331, Platform “B.” The Renaissance Offshore LLC-operated platform is about 170 mi (274 km) southwest of New Orleans.
The second will investigate a fatality that occurred Saturday at the Chevron-operated Platform "A" (Genesis) platform in Green Canyon block 205. This is about 150 mi (241 km) southwest of New Orleans.
“Both incidents last week involved workers falling through platform decks to a lower elevation or to the water’s surface,” Herbst said. “We are issuing a safety alert to the industry with recommendations to reduce the likelihood of similar incidents in the future.”
BSEE will work closely with the US Coast Guard’s New Orleans Investigations Unit to review the information provided through interviews by the operator, contract employees, witnesses, and subject matter experts. Investigators will also analyze evidence from forensic testing.
Each panel will consist of a team of BSEE investigators, inspectors, and engineers. The panels will issue reports with their findings regarding the causes and make recommendations on how to strengthen existing safety measures once the investigations are completed.
06/05/2019
