Federal Administration Asks Black Elk Energy to Improve Offshore Safety

After a deadly fire on a Black Elk Energy-operated platform in the Gulf of Mexico, the federal administration asked the company to boost safety in its offshore operations.

The Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement informed Houston-based Black Elk Energy that it must improve safety at its offshore operations. That call from the federal agency came after the recent fire at the company’s Gulf of Mexico offshore platform off the coast of Louisiana, which killed 2 workers, and injured 4 other workers.

Investigations into the accident are ongoing. The fire spread on a production platform that was located in shallow waters off the coast of Louisiana. The platform was not producing oil at the time. Fortunately, the accident did not result in an environmental spill.

According to the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement, it has found that Black Elk Energy has time and again failed to operate safely. The federal agency has, in the past, taken a number of enforcement actions against Black Elk Energy. The agency has issued several Incidence of Noncompliance notices, and civil penalties have also been levied against the company.

The company’s leadership has also had opportunities to talk to the officials at the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement to review the company’s performance.

The federal agency has informed Black Elk Energy that if it fails to enhance safety standards, it could lead to a revocation of the company’s offshore operation privileges.

The Houston offshore injury lawyers at Schechter, Shaffer & Harris, L.L.P., Accident & Injury Lawyers represent offshore oil rig and platform workers who have been injured in accidents in the Gulf Of Mexico region and across Texas. Contact us today for a free consultation.