Inspection Detail

Inspection: 1102917.015 - Texas Petroleum Investment Company

Inspection Information - Office: Baton Rouge Area Office

Investigation Summary

At 12:40 p.m. on October 15, 2015, five employees (crew members) had been servicing the oil and gas wells. The vessel crew members included Employees #1 and #2 who worked for a petroleum company and Employees #3 and #4 who were temporary employees from a staffing company and there was one co-worker. The employees tied up the 32 foot work boat to the West Battery Facility and went into the crew quarters to eat lunch. As the employees were talking, they remembered a task they were supposed to have completed before coming back to the production facility for lunch. Employees #2 and #3 went back to the 32 foot work boat and headed out into the lake. A few seconds passed when a large explosion was heard. The three employees inside the crew quarters came rushing out and ran over to where the boat had been tied up. When they arrived they noticed the boat had exploded and separated into several pieces and was burning. The three employees searched and yelled for Employees #2 and #3 who had been on the vessel but could not find any survivors. A phone call was then made to the company and the emergency notification plan was put into action. Employees #2 and #3 were both killed in the explosion.

Keywords: Explosion, Fire, Gas Well, Oil Well Drilling, Petroleum Naphtha