WASHINGTON - The Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement today released the report of its panel investigation into a Nov. 12, 2016 fire at LLOG Exploration Offshore, L.L.C.’s Grand Isle Block 115 “A” Platform in the Gulf of Mexico. The panel, including BSEE subject matter experts, engineers, and investigators, investigated the fire incident to determine the cause and contributing factors of the incident.
On the day of the incident, three Wood Group operators, contracted by LLOG, suffered burn injuries as a result of a fire that began in the vicinity of a heater treater on LLOG’s platform.
BSEE’s panel made several recommendations to reduce the likelihood of similar events in the future, including the recommendation that operators conduct proper hazard analyses when opening process vessels and tanks, and that operators use portable gas detectors when operating in the vicinity of fired vessels.
To read more about the panel investigation, including BSEE’s recommendations, the full report can be found here.
A memo from BSEE leadership in response to the report can be found here.
A Safety Bulletin has been sent to offshore operators and can be viewed here.
BSEE's National Investigations Program is administered by its Safety and Incident Investigations Division in Washington, D.C. Panel investigations, an integral tool for safety improvement, are chaired by division and regional staff, and conducted in coordination with region and district staff.
(Photo: "Workers on the LLOG 115A platform inspect the fire tubes adjacent to the heater treater")