Beaumont, Texas-Local authorities, along with OSHA inspectors, are continuing their investigation into the death of a Martin Resource Management Corp. worker whose body was found around 5:30 a.m. July 23 atop a railcar tanker loaded with sulfur. He was identified as 50-year Michael Ailes, an operator for Martin Resource at Beaumont, which provides services and operates the storage and distribution terminal. Alex Stelly, a Beaumont private attorney and Martin spokesman, told Green Markets that Ailes apparently was participating in an unloading operation and that it was not known if his death was connected to the sulfur. His body was discovered by fellow workers. At this point, the fatality is being described by the Beaumont fire department as an industrial accident pending results from an autopsy. Beaumont is one of two Martin Midstream Partners LP plants that process and distribute sulfur predominately produced by oil refineries primarily located in the Gulf Coast region. The other facility is at Port of Stockton, Calif. MMLP also owns or operates six sulfur-based fertilizer plants in Illinois, Texas, and Utah. In October 2007, MMLP completed the construction of a sulfuric acid production plant in Plainview, Tex., which processes molten sulfur into sulfuric acid.
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