Four Victims of Refinery Blast Identified, Fifth Critical
Chevron and the Health and Safety Executive are investigating to find the cause of the June 2 explosion at the Pembroke Refinery in southern Wales.
Three men and a woman died in the June 2 explosion of a storage tank at Chevron's Pembroke Refinery explosion in southern Wales, which the company and Britain's OSHA equivalent, the Health and Safety Executive, are separately investigating. A fifth person critically injured in the blast is hospitalized.
Chevron posted these statements June 3 and June 2 on its Twitter page:
"Chevron is hugely saddened by the death of four of its contractor colleagues in the incident yesterday evening, and our thoughts go out to their families at this very difficult time. One contractor colleague remains in hospital where he is still receiving treatment. Pembroke Refinery is a very close family, and this tragedy has been a great shock to everyone. The welfare of our employees is our key priority, and we are providing counseling support to all our staff and their families. The fire has been extinguished, and we have launched an investigation, which will run in tandem with the Health and Safety Executive's investigation. The plant remains fully operational, and we do not anticipate any significant disruptions to supply. Given the circumstances, nonessential work has been suspended today.
"Following the explosion at Chevron's Pembroke refinery at 18:20 GMT this evening, we can confirm that four contractor colleagues died in the incident and one is receiving treatment in a hospital for serious injuries. Greg Hanggi, refinery general manager: "This news is utterly devastating. The loss of our co-workers has come as a huge shock to us all. Our thoughts and deepest sympathy go out to their families. We will ensure that all employees and contractors are fully supported throughout this difficult time. We will take every step possible to determine the series of events that led to this tragic incident and ensure that any lessons learnt from it will be integrated into the business and shared with our industry partners. I would like to thank all the on-site responders and emergency service personnel for the dedication and professionalism they showed throughout this incident."