On the evening of October 26, 2019, Jacob Deen and his wife Natalee died when they were exposed to dangerously high levels of hydrogen sulfide (H2S) gas.
Jacob, an employee of Aghorn Operating, Inc. in Odessa, Texas, had been dispatched to diagnose a pump alarm at a waterflood station pump house. While working, water containing fatally toxic levels of H2S gas began leaking inside the pump house. Jacob died when he inhaled the gas. Natalee became worried when Jacob hadn't returned home that evening so she drove to the Aghorn facility with the couple's two young children in the car. She was also overcome by the gas when she entered the facility. The two children remained in the vehicle and, although they too were exposed to H2S, they suffered only minor health effects.
This incident was investigated by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Criminal Investigation Division and the U.S. Chemical Safety Board (CSB). In March 2022, Aghorn Operating and the company's Vice President were indicted by a federal grand jury for violating the Clean Air Act and for failing to develop and implement an effective safety management program with regard to H2S controlling hazardous energy. (Note: An indictment is merely an allegation and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.)
Unfortunately, too many companies fail to realize their duty to protect the safety of their employees until it's too late. Whether they falsely believe they're not required to comply with workplace safety standards, or they simply choose to prioritize profits over safety, the consequences can be enormous.
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