By Erwin Seba
(Reuters) – Marathon Petroleum Corp and the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) have begun investigating the death on Tuesday of a contract worker at Marathon’s Galveston Bay Refinery in Texas City, Texas, spokespeople for the company and agency said on Wednesday.
“On Tuesday, at approximately 4:45 p.m. (CST 2245 GMT), a contract worker, sustained injuries from an electric shock,” said Marathon spokesperson Jamal Kheiry. “We regret to report that he subsequently passed away after being transported to a medical facility.”
People familiar with the matter who spoke on condition of anonymity said the 25-year-old scaffold builder employed by Excel Modular Scaffold made contact with an electrical conduit and was electrocuted.
A spokesperson for privately held Excel Modular Scaffold in Deer Park, Texas, was not immediately available for comment.
The man was working on scaffolding at the resid hydrotreater at the refinery, which is one of several units currently being overhauled, said the sources who were not authorized to speak publicly.
Refiners contract with outside companies to perform planned maintenance work and unplanned repairs on refinery units.
The hydrotreater was shut with other units in late January at the start of planned overhauls at the refinery.
(Reporting by Erwin Seba; Editing by Josie Kao)
