Oil industry employee dies in workplace incident at Prudhoe Bay

Prudhoe Bay’s Central Gas Facility, viewed from nan Lisburne Production Center connected Friday, May 22, 2015. (Loren Holmes / ADN)

A worker was killed astatine a Prudhoe Bay installation connected Wednesday, nan 2nd reported fatality successful nan North Slope lipid manufacture successful caller weeks, and nan 4th successful a small complete a year’s time.

The drawstring of workplace deaths correspond an unusually precocious number of fatalities successful a comparatively short play of clip for lipid section operations successful nan region, national workplace information records indicate.

The sanction of nan astir caller unfortunate has not been released. The worker worked for Chosen Construction, an lipid section services supplier pinch a shop successful Deadhorse that was nan tract of nan first successful nan bid of fatalities, 14 months ago. Deadhorse is nan business municipality serving nan North Slope lipid fields.

A spokesperson pinch Hilcorp, nan usability of Prudhoe Bay, confirmed nan astir caller deathin an email connected Thursday.

“We are saddened to study that an worker of Chosen Construction Inc. was fatally injured connected June 5, 2024, astatine nan Central Compression Plant astatine Prudhoe Bay,” Luke Miller, a spokesperson pinch Hilcorp Energy, said successful nan email.

“We consciousness this nonaccomplishment profoundly and our thoughts and prayers are pinch nan family and Chosen Construction’s employees,” Miller said. “All activity was instantly stopped, nan tract was secured, and nan due agencies were notified. Hilcorp and Chosen Construction are moving intimately pinch nan agencies to behaviour a afloat investigation.”

Jason Daniels, president of Chosen Construction, said nan incident is nether investigation.

After nan workplace fatalities connected nan Slope, he said companies crossed nan North Slope are reviewing their operations.

“My prayers are pinch nan family,” he said.

“I person nary further remark until we get this point figured out,” he said. “Out of respect for nan family and nan coworkers and friends, I conscionable don’t want to put thing retired there, different than it’s nether investigation.”

He declined to supply nan property aliases sanction of nan employee.

Alaska Occupational Safety and Health is “in nan process of investigating nan circumstances surrounding this unfortunate occurrence,” said Dale Williamson, main of enforcement for nan group, successful an email.

Williamson said he could stock nary further accusation astatine nan moment.

Federal workplace information regulators said nan authorities would apt lead nan investigation into nan caller death, which occurred connected authorities land.

4 deaths successful 14 months

Three of nan 4 deaths complete nan past 14 months occurred astatine accommodation operated by Hilcorp, nan usability of nan Prudhoe Bay lipid section that took complete BP’s Alaska assets successful 2020. Hilcorp Alaska, a apical Alaska lipid producer, has been repeatedly penalized for operational violations successful Alaska.

None of nan victims worked for Hilcorp. They worked for companies that supply lipid section support, though authorities officials person said 1 unfortunate took guidance from Hilcorp.

The first of nan 4 deaths occurred astatine nan Chosen Construction shop successful Deadhorse successful April 2023, erstwhile a 23-year-old man died from caput injuries aft he fell connected an icy aboveground while unloading tube from a truck, according to accusation provided by authorities officials.

The unfortunate wasemployed by Worley Alaska, a building and lipid section work company, but he was embedded astatine Hilcorp and took guidance from nan lipid producer, authorities officials person said. The authorities investigated that incident, and did not rumor fines against Worley, according to federal records.

Alaska workplace information officials investigated Chosen Construction for that incident, national records show. The lawsuit remains open. Safety officials person issued astir $23,000 successful fines against Chosen Construction successful that case, including for citations involving individual protective instrumentality and caput protection, nan records show.

Hilcorp besides has been fined astir $22,000 for citations related to that incident, national records show. That lawsuit involving Hilcorp besides remains open. Those citations besides impact individual protective instrumentality and caput protection.

The state warned at nan clip that companies, to forestall akin accidents, should instrumentality a broad wellness and information programme that includes nan usage of individual protective equipment.

The 2 different fatalities took spot astatine accommodation owned and operated by Hilcorp.

In June past year, a 27-year-old man who worked for Halliburton died astatine nan Northstar lipid section aft he was struck by a rod that ejected from a wellhead valve, a fatality report from nan national agency shows.

The national workplace information agency has issued fines against Halliburton totaling astir $70,000 successful that case, but Halliburton is challenging nan citations, according to nan report. The Northstar lipid section is located partly in national waters disconnected Alaska’s coast.

A lawsuit against Hilcorp was besides opened successful that incidentat nan Northstar lipid field, 2 days aft nan Halliburton lawsuit was opened, federal records show. Hilcorp was fined $17,000.

A 62-year-old MagTec Alaska employee died in May. He was struck by a front-end loader while stepping astatine a occupation tract astatine nan Milne Point field. The authorities has launched an investigation into nan incident.

The deaths look to beryllium nan first workplace fatalities since December 2018, erstwhile a 36-year-old man died astatine nan Milne Point section aft a 700-pound conception of drilling tube struck his head, according to media reports and records from nan U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration.