Phillips 66 has restarted its Alliance Refinery in Belle Chasse, Louisiana, following the tragic death of a worker earlier this month.
Jerome Matthews died when he fell from a cooling tower into the refinery’s 15-foot deep wastewater treatment plant on the 4th of July.
Matthews, a contractor with Texas-based HydroChemPSC, had only been on the job for several months, but according to his family, had years of experience working offshore.
Worker’s Remains Recovered 4 Days After Fatal Accident
Initial attempts to retrieve Matthews’s body were unsuccessful, forcing Phillips 66 to close and drain portions of the wastewater treatment plant.
His remains were finally recovered on the evening of July 7th and turned over to the Plaquemines Parish coroner.
The Phillips 66 Alliance Refinery had been closed since the fatal accident, as the facility was unable to operate without a means of treating the water used in the processing of crude oil.
Phillips 66 Alliance Refinery Began Reopening July 16th
Sources told Reuters that the refinery began reopening on July 16th. The 50,000-bpd crude distillation unit and 65,000-bpd vacuum distillation unit returned to minimum production levels on July 18th, while additional units were restarted over the weekend.
A spokesperson for Phillips 66 told Reuters that the refinery was undergoing planned maintenance on Monday.
Family of Deceased Contractor Waits for Answers
The investigation into Matthew’s fatal fall continues.
Floyd Young, a fellow HydroChemPSC employee and friend of Matthews, recently told WVUE-TV in New Orleans that all proper safety procedures were being followed when he died.
“It was very slippery and nasty on top of the tower where we were working and he was grabbing the hose and he slipped and fell into the coolant tower,” Young said.
Days after his death, Matthew’s family was still waiting for answers.
“How or why? And that information still hasn’t been told to us,” his wife, Racquel, told WVUE-TV.
“For a big company like this to handle it this way, it’s mind-boggling.”
Over $1 Billion Won for Injured Workers and Their Families. Call 1-888-603-3636 or Click Here for a Free Consultation.
With over $1 billion won for injured workers and their families — including more than 1,000 people throughout Louisiana, Texas and across the United States who were injured or tragically killed in some of the worst plant and refinery disasters in recent history — our Undefeated Plant Explosion Lawyers have the resources and skills to ensure that our clients are fully compensated for all of their injuries and losses.
To learn more about your legal options following a workplace explosion or accident, call 1-888-603-3636 or click here to send us a confidential email through our “Contact Form.”
All consultations are free, and because we exclusively represent clients on a contingency-fee basis, you’ll pay nothing unless we win your case.