No confirmed details about the victim or the nature of the incident had been released as of late Tuesday.

The Orange County Sheriff's Office got a call summoning help to the scene at 2:51 p.m. Tuesday, records show.

DuPont Operations spokesman Nate Pepper said the incident occurred at the plant's ethylene unit. Work at the unit will cease until an investigation is complete, he added.

"Safety is our most important job, and our focus right now is investigating the cause of this accident and preventing it from happening again," Pepper said.

The deceased worker was employed by Baton Rouge, La.-based Turner Industries, a contractor at the DuPont facility.

Pepper declined to release identifying information, including the victim's name or gender, saying the victim's next-of-kin had not been notified.

Turner Industries representative Mike Morain confirmed a death Tuesday but said the company planned to issue a statement later.

OSHA was notified of the death Tuesday afternoon, agency spokeswoman Elizabeth Todd said.

Employers are required by law to report incidents resulting in death or more than three injuries to the agency within eight hours of their occurrence, Todd said.

The investigation -routine after a work site death - could take as long as six months to complete, Todd said.

msmith@beaumontenterprise.com
(409) 880-0723