BEAUMONT, TX — Migauel Barron, an Altair Strickland employee, was killed after a refinery accident on Wednesday morning.
ExxonMobil Refinery in Beaumont
According to investigators, at around 12:30 a.m., crews were working on an elevated platform, changing a heat exchanger, which was described as a device similar to a car’s radiator. The pipes used for exchangers can be anywhere between 3 to 20 feet in length and weigh up to several thousand pounds.
During the replacement, a pipe broke off from the exchanger and fell upon Barron.
“We are determined to review this incident and find ways to prevent similar events from occurring in the future,” said Patrick Trahan, ExxonMobil’s manager of public and governmental affairs.
ExxonMobil released the following statement in regards to this incident:
“We regret that a contractor was fatally injured in an incident at a unit under maintenance at the Beaumont refinery. We have notified the appropriate authorities and are working to investigate the cause of the incident. We are greatly saddened by this and express our deepest sympathy to his family and his co-workers.”
OSHA is currently investigating this accident.