Worker on natural-gas production platform in Gulf dies

By Andrew Restuccia - 04/18/11 05:35 PM ET

A worker on a natural-gas production platform off the coast of Louisiana fell through an opening on the platform deck and later died, a statement from the Interior Department said Monday.

The worker was conducting routine procedures to plug and abandon a well that had not been in production since 2008 at Hilcorp Energy Co.'s West Cameron Block 643 Platform A, which is about 129 miles off the coast of Louisiana.

At about 4 a.m. Monday morning, the worker, who was employed by Alliance Oilfield Services, “fell through a deck opening,” according to a statement from the Interior Department’s Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation and Enforcement (BOEMRE).

“The victim was assisted by first responders on the platform, then medevaced by helicopter for emergency medical attention. He was later pronounced dead at the hospital,” the statement said.

BOEMRE was unable to fly to the platform, which is located in 375 feet of water, Monday because of heavy fog, but the inspectors will try again Tuesday.

"This was a tragic accident. Our thoughts and prayers are with the family of the deceased employee, as well as his friends and colleagues,” BOEMRE Director Michael Bromwich said in a statement Monday. “This tragic accident underscores why we are fully committed to working with the industry to ensure the highest safety standards on offshore facilities.”

The incident comes just two days before the one-year anniversary of the massive Gulf of Mexico oil spill, which resulted in the death of 11 rig workers.

In the aftermath of the spill, the Interior Department restructured its offshore drilling oversight functions and imposed enhanced safety and environmental regulations.