Abstract: Employee #1 was to meet another technician at the API separator unit so as to verify the removal of a float switch. When the technician arrived he noticed a compartment lid missing and found Employee #1 bobbing up and down in the unit. The technician and another responding employee helped pull Employee #1 from the extremely hot oily water. The oil/water mixture inside the separator unit is approximately 171 degrees Fahrenheit. Employee #1 died from thermal burns. The API separator is a singular unit measuring 42 feet long by 11 feet wide and 6 feet deep. There are 5 compartment lids, each measuring 66 inches long by 48 inches wide. The float switch was located approximately 6 inches from the top of compartment #1. The hinge mechanism on compartment #1 was missing a dowel pin on one side and an eye bolt on the other side. The latch mechanism on the front of the lid was not locked. The compartment lid was found inside the API separator unit. There were no witnesses but Employee #1 apparently either walked on or put his weight on compartment #1's lid and the lid slid, causing Employee #1 and the lid to fall into the unit.