A worker at a New Jersey chemical plant was found dead after falling into a large container of mineral oil, according to police and the company.
The 71-year-old man was loading a 6,000-gallon vat at the Bayway Chemical Plant, at the corner of Park and Brunswick avenues in Linden. Operated by Infineum — a joint venture between ExxonMobil and Shell — the facility is used in lubricant additive production.
Detectives believe the man was on top of the container and fell in while working around 1:30 p.m. Tuesday, as the container was being filled with mineral oil. He was retrieved by personnel from the Bayway and Linden fire departments, but was pronounced dead at the scene.
The worker had not yet been identified, but was said to be a sub-contractor from the Middlesex County town of Iselin, police said.
“At Infineum, one of our goals is to maintain a safe workplace, to ensure that workplace hazards are eliminated or mitigated, and to ensure that each individual working at our site is trained to perform his or her daily duties safely,” Infineum said in a statement. “Sadly, there are times when something happens, and unfortunately, that is the case today.”
The company said it had requested assistance from the Linden police and fire departments. Police said all parties involved had been cooperating with their investigation.
A separate and independent OSHA investigation was also underway, according to police. Infineum said it would conduct an investigation into the deadly incident as well to determine how and why it happened.