Three men died and two were injured early on Tuesday morning when a section of formwork gave way apparently while it was being ‘jumped’ /raised at an LNG – Liquified Natural Gas plant- being built by Bechtel in Port Arthur, Texas, for joint owners/developers Conoco Phillips and Sempra Infrastructure.
It seems that the men who died fell around 20 metres to their death, while the two that survived managed to hang on. What is unclear is what role a tower crane played in the incident. It looks as though something went wrong with the rigging of the load it was lifting, whether it was lifting the formwork section at the time, as it looks, or it dropped a load onto the formwork is not at all clear, we have heard both versions from different sources locally, but no official details have been disclosed at this point.
The men who died have been identified as Felix Jose Lopez, 42, Reginald Magee, 41 and Felipe Mendez, 25. The U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has launched in investigation into what happened and what went wrong.
Main contractor Bechtel issued a statement that said: “We are deeply saddened to confirm a tank jump form system incident occurred at elevation at the Port Arthur LNG construction site, resulting in three fatalities and two injuries. Our thoughts are with the families and our colleagues affected by this tragic incident.”
“All work at the site was immediately stopped following the incident, and we have sent all craft professionals home early to be with their families during this difficult time. Supporting those impacted and ensuring site safety remain our top priorities. Further information will be shared as it becomes available.”
Sempra Infrastructure added: "At approximately 2am on Tuesday 29 April, an incident occurred at the Port Arthur LNG construction site involving employees of engineering, procurement and construction contractor, Bechtel. Three fatalities have been reported and two others who were injured have been released from the hospital. Our condolences go out to the families of those who lost their lives as well as those who are injured."
The video below goes over the incident in a fair bit of detail
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