Inspection Detail

Inspection: 110342151 - Production Management Industries

Inspection Information - Office: Baton Rouge Area Office

Investigation Summary

At approximately 12:25 p.m. on April 29, 1994, Employee #1 was working on top of a 5,000 barrel fuel oil stock tank at Delta 83, Field E5 facility in State Waters, LA. He was installing a fusible plug (fire loop) on a safety device in case a fire occurred in the facility. The tank was approximately 28 ft high and 30 ft in diameter. A portion of the tank top had been patched in past years with fiberglass material. A "Caution" sign was stenciled on the tank top near the patched area. Employee #1 apparently stepped onto the patched area and fell approximately 28 ft through the weakened, repaired portion to the bottom of the tank. Employee #1, who was killed, had been called out to the location the previous day by the supervisor at the Energy Development Corp., which was the property owner.

Keywords: MAINTENANCE, INSTALLING, CONSTRUCTION, UNSTABLE SURFACE, FALL, TANK, INATTENTION