Worker dies after falling into vat of mineral oil at chemical plant

A 71-year-old man died on Monday after falling into a large vat of mineral oil at a New Jersey chemical plant, police and the company said Tuesday.

The incident occurred at around 1:30 p.m. at the Bayway Chemical Plant in Linden when the subcontractor fell into a 6,000-gallon container he was loading with oil.

He was retrieved by responders from the Bayway and Linden fire departments, but pronounced dead at the scene, police said. The identity of the man, a resident of the Iselin section of Woodbridge, has not been released.

Police said all involved parties are cooperating with their investigation.

Infineum — the company that operates the plant — and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration are also conducting separate investigations to determine how the deadly accident happened.

“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.

“Our hearts are heavy with the news that we must deliver to you at this time about the loss of life at our facility,” the statement continued. “We extend our deepest sympathy to those who have lost a family member or friend.”

The company said the victim would be publicly identified by authorities once his family had been notified.