Two BP Refinery Pipefitters Suffer Steam Burns at Texas City Refinery

BP PLC said Wednesday two of its employees have been hospitalized after suffering steam burns while performing work at a process unit at its Texas City, Texas, refinery.  Local media outlets are reporting that the two employees are pipefitters at BP’s Texas City refinery.  The two injured refinery workers were taken to a local hospital after sustaining steam burns about 4 p.m. Tuesday.

A medical helicopter took a man with burns on 30 percent of his body to the University of Texas Medical Branch burn center in Galveston while a ground ambulance took the other worker to Mainland Medical Center in Texas City.  The Texas City Fire Department Captain said the severely injured pipefitter suffered his burns down the left side of his body.

The employees were working at Pipestill 3B, a refining unit, when they suffered burn injuries. BP officials are reviewing the incident.

By now, all of our readers are probably familiar with BP’s Texas City Refinery.  The refinery was the site of a fatal explosion in 2005, which killed 15, injured hundreds, and resulted in unprecedented fines for the U.K.-based oil company.  Matt Shaffer represented several injured victims of this catastrophic explosion, obtaining large confidential settlement from BP.

Last week, the Environmental Protection Agency said it was launching an investigation into the massive benzene release by this same BP facility that began April 6 and lasted until May to determine whether the refinery violated the Clean Air Act.

All of this in addition to the ongoing litigation surrounding the Deepwater Horizon offshore oil rig explosion and subsequent Gulf of Mexico oil spill, yet another case for injury and death our firm is handling against BP.  While some work accidents are inevitable, our Texas refinery explosion lawyers are hard-pressed to believe anything BP says about its safety practices at this point.  This story is developing.  Please check back for updates.