ExxonMobil reports death of contractor in work at Beaumont refinery

A 37-year-old contract worker from Brownsville, Texas, died early Wednesday morning near a unit under maintenance at ExxonMobil's Beaumont refinery, according to a report by the Beaumont Enterprise newspaper.

The worker was struck in the head and neck area by piping that was being removed from a heat exchanger, a local sheriff's office spokesperson said, according to the report.

The man was pronounced dead shortly before 1 a.m. local time. His name has yet to be released.

"We regret that a contractor was fatally injured in an incident at a unit under maintenance at the Beaumont refinery," ExxonMobil said in a statement. "We have notified the appropriate authorities and are working to investigate the cause of the incident. We are greatly saddened by this and express our deepest sympathy to his family and his co-workers."

Three people witnessed the accident,  and a fire department dispatcher said emergency crews were called at 12:28 a.m., according to the Beaumont Enterprise.

The employee reportedly worked for AltairStrickland, an industrial engineering group based in Deer Park. AltairStrickland specializes in process unit turnarounds.

ExxonMobil's Beaumont refinery processes 365,000 bpd of crude, according to its website. The company also operates chemicals, polyethylene (PE) and lube plants in Beaumont, employing 2,000 workers and more than 1,000 contractors.