US Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE) Gulf of Mexico Regional Director Lars Herbst has established two panels to investigate two serious incidents that took place in the Gulf of Mexico last week.
The first investigation will shed light on a man-overboard/missing person incident that happened at Eugene Island Block 331, Platform “B”. The Renaissance Offshore LLC platform is located about 170 miles southwest of New Orleans.
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The second will investigate a fatality that took place at Chevron’s Green Canyon Block 205, Platform “A” (Genesis) about 150 miles southwest of New Orleans.
Commenting on the beginning of the investigations, Gulf of Mexico Regional Director Herbst, said that:
The safety of workers must be of the utmost priority for offshore operators. Both incidents last week involved workers falling through platform decks to a lower elevation or to the water’s surface. We are issuing a safety alert to the industry with recommendations to reduce the likelihood of similar incidents in the future
Now, BSEE will collaborate with the US Coast Guard’s New Orleans Investigations Unit to analyze the information provided through interviews by the operator, the contract employees, witnesses and subject matter experts.
Investigators will also examine evidence from forensic testing,while each panel will consist of a team of BSEE investigators, inspectors and engineers.
These panels will issue reports with their findings regarding the causes and make suggestions on how to improve current safety measures after the investigations are completed.