UPDATE: Three Killed in Fall Accident on Bechtel Port Arthur LNG Project
A rendering of the Port Arthur LNG facility mission’s first and second phases.
Rendering courtesy Bechtel Energy
After suspending all work on its $13-billion Port Arthur, Texas LNG export terminal mission following the deaths of three workers in an April 29 tumble accident, the contractor has in part restarted building, a spokesman suggested ENR on Might maybe maybe simply 6.
“A itsy-bitsy restart of definite activities has came about,” said firm spokesman Luke Miller. “We are taking a careful, phased are accessible in coordination with OSHA and our buyer.”
He refers to a probe launched by the U.S. Occupational Safety and Smartly being Administration of the accident in which three blueprint workers fell an estimated 65 to 85 toes in “a tank jump-compose machine incident” after a layer of scaffolding connected to a concrete tank failed on the mission being constructed for San Diego-based totally Sempra Infrastructure, which awarded Bechtel the EPC contract.
The victims are identified as Felix Jose Lopez, 42; Felipe Mendez, 25; and Reginald Magee, 41. Lopez and Mendez enjoy been pronounced uninteresting on the scene. Magee used to be taken to a neighborhood health center the place he died from his injuries.
Two other injured workers fascinated with the accident enjoy been handled and are expected to make a plump recovery, authorities said. “Not all employees landed on the ground. Two of them enjoy been in a discipline to occupy up, but all sustained injuries,” said Capt. Crystal Holmes of the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Administrative center, which is also investigating the accident.
In an announcement sent to ENR, Bechtel said all work on the blueprint used to be stopped at once following the incident. “We’ve sent all craft professionals residence early to be with their households at some point of this refined time. We are cooperating fully with local authorities as investigations proceed and enjoy launched our enjoy internal review,” the firm said.
“No words are ample to explicit how deeply the lack of three of our colleagues is felt,” said Bechtel Chairman and CEO Brendan Bechtel and COO Craig Albert in a stammer to all employees in regards to the accident.
The firm said it is cooperating with probes and likewise paused similar tank work at two other initiatives, but it surely did no longer name their names or areas. It’s no longer certain if building at those sites has restarted.
The Port Arthur mission, which is in a discipline to enjoy first segment gas export means of 13 million tons per twelve months by its favorite completion dates of 2027 and 2028 for its two liquefaction trains, also entails LNG storage tanks and marine companies.
Neither Bechtel or Sempra has said how the accident could maybe well have an effect on mission completion. They also did no longer did no longer ascertain media stories of three wrongful death complaints and a negligence action in opposition to the companies seeking no longer lower than $1 million, that are in accordance with statements from attorneys one injured employee and victims’ households,
In an announcement, Sempra said, “Our condolences exit to the households of of us that misplaced their lives as smartly as of us that are injured.”
Bechtel ranks No. 14 on ENR’s 2025 Top 500 Beget Firms checklist.
Emell Derra Adolphus has bigger than a decade of writing and journalism trip. He’s senior editor of ENR’s Top Lists and Behold Rankings at ENR magazine and most regularly contributes stories on technology, climate resiliency, fluctuate, equity and inclusion.
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