Investigation Underway Into Utah Drilling Site

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration, the Uintah County Fire Department and the Uintah County Sheriff's Department are investigating an explosion that occurred Tuesday evening at a Newfield Exploration Co. site in Uintah County, Utah, a county official told Rigzone.

A contractor working for Newfield, Tyson Lee Boren, was killed. Another worker was injured and treated at a local hospital, John Laursen, chief deputy for Uintah County.

A grinder found at the scene is suspected to be behind the explosion, Laursen said. The incident occurred when a 400-barrel tank at the site had started to leak. When workers went to fix the tank, someone accidentally hit it with a grinder, causing the production water to explode.

The site of the incident is located 15 miles south of Myton, Utah and 65 miles from the Uintah County seat of Vernal.

Newfield is also conducting its own investigation into the matter, according to media reports.



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