The U.S. Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE) has established two panels to investigate a man overboard/missing person incident and a fatality that happened in the Gulf of Mexico (GoM) last week.

BSEE said the first investigation will focus on a man-overboard/missing person incident that occurred May 29 at Eugene Island Block 331, Platform B. The Renaissance Offshore LLC platform is located about 170 miles southwest of New Orleans. The second will investigate a fatality that occurred June 1 at Chevron’s Green Canyon Block 205, Platform A (Genesis), about 150 miles southwest of New Orleans.

“The safety of workers must be of the utmost priority for offshore operators,”GoM Regional Director Lars Herbst said in the release. “Both incidents last week involved workers falling through platform decks to a lower elevation or to the water’s surface. We are issuing a safety alert to the industry with recommendations to reduce the likelihood of similar incidents in the future.”

BSEE said it will work with the U.S. Coast Guard’s New Orleans Investigations Unit to review the information provided through interviews by the operator, contract employees, witnesses and subject matter experts. Investigators will also analyze evidence from forensic testing.

The panels, which will each consist of BSEE investigators, inspectors and engineers, will issue reports with their findings regarding the causes and make recommendations on how to strengthen existing safety measures once the investigations are completed, the release said.

Offshore