The Minerals Management Service (MMS) has issued a safety alert expressing its concern over the high number of deaths of offshore workers in the Gulf of Mexico so far this year.

The Interior Department agency reported that five fatalities involved incidents under its jurisdiction, and another two fatalities involved incidents under the jurisdiction of the U.S. Coast Guard.

MMS said it is investigating the deaths of the offshore workers. “We are issuing this safety alert prior to the conclusion of the investigations and the production of an official report because of MMS’s concern regarding the number of fatalities that have occurred with over four months remaining in the calendar year,” said the safety alert, which was posted to the agency’s website.

Meanwhile, MMS recommends that operators continue to evaluate their operations from a safety perspective and take all necessary steps to ensure a safe working environment on their leases. These actions should include job safety analyses, pre-task safety meetings, hazard analyses involving risk assessment and management, and adherence to established task procedural guidelines.

The MMS investigation, when completed, will be posted to the MMS website at www.gomr.mms.gov/homepg/offshore/safety/safety.html.

The fatalities under MMS jurisdiction occurred when:

The two fatalities under the Coast Guard jurisdiction involved a diving operation and the transportation of an employee onto a platform by using a swing rope, according to the safety alert.

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