BP contract worker dies near Texas City refinery

Flags fly at half staff outside the British Petroleum refinery in Texas City, Texas March 24, 2005.

HOUSTON (Reuters) - BP Plc on Thursday confirmed that a worker for a contractor died after an accident at a waste disposal area near the company's Texas City refinery.

The worker, whose name was not released, worked for Gaia Environmental Inc and was injured in an accident involving a backhoe, BP said in a statement. He was treated at the scene and taken to a local hospital.

London-based BP said local and regulatory officials including the Occupational Safety and Health Administration were notified and an investigation was under way.

BP's extensive energy operations have been under scrutiny since a series of safety lapses a March 2005 explosion at Texas City that killed 15 contract workers and injured 180 others. It was the deadliest U.S. industrial accident in more than a decade.

In January, a supervisor at the Texas City refinery was killed when a heavy metal lid blew off a unit that was being restarted.

"We've been working very hard to improve safety culture and safety performance at the Texas City Refinery," BP said in the statement. "We have made significant improvements at the facility in recent years, investing heavily in worker training and the upgrading of the plant.

"We have more to do and we are committed to doing it," BP said.

BP said the accident occurred at a 200-acre environmental land farm, about a mile south of the refinery. The site handles non-hazardous biological materials from the refinery's wastewater treatment plant.

(Reporting by Eileen O'Grady; Editing by David Gregorio)