Benzene & Bungling: Shell’s Toxic Exposure Scandal in Trinidad

“If I had been up there a few minutes more, I would have been taken off in a body bag.”

Shell’s “zero harm” mantra has once again been vaporised—literally. This time it’s benzene gas on the Dolphin natural gas platform in Trinidad, where a former quality assurance inspector was allegedly exposed without proper protective gear. Shell, true to form, didn’t even bother reporting it to the Occupational Safety and Health Authority (OSHA) or the Ministry of Energy, as required. WTF Shell?

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The Incident They Didn’t Want Reported

The inspector says he was sent to check pipes and flanges in May 2021 by contractor Massy Wood Group. Nobody told him he needed a respirator. Within minutes, he was dizzy, gasping, and suffering chest pains.

He recalls:

“If I had been up there a few minutes more, I would have been taken off in a body bag. I was medevaced without a medic or HSSE officer in the helicopter.” (Guardian T&T)

Instead of a hospital, he was bizarrely flown to the private home of a company doctor.

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What OSHA Found

• OSHA confirmed he had not been given a respirator.

• Benzene readings were 8–10 ppm, above Shell’s own limits and nearly double the US OSHA 15-minute ceiling of 5 ppm.

• Exposure time: 45 minutes without PPE.

OSHA said Massy Wood failed to file a mandatory incident report. When asked why, a manager replied: “No accident occurred.” The investigators disagreed.

Later, in a 2023 update, OSHA backtracked, saying the late report (17 months after the incident) limited what they could prove.

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The Dangers of Benzene

The CDC warns that benzene exposure can cause dizziness, irregular heartbeat, unconsciousness, and even death. Long-term, it wrecks the immune system and raises risks of leukaemia (CDC). The inspector now lives with shortness of breath and palpitations, forced to abandon his oil and gas career.

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Shell’s Response

Shell’s official statement:

“The claims were investigated by both Shell and Massy Wood Group, and to date, have been found to be unsubstantiated.”

Translation: nothing to see here, just ignore the dizziness, chest pains, medevac, and benzene readings above safe limits.

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WTF Shell?

This isn’t a one-off. Shell has form:

• Brent Bravo (UK): Safety breaches and deaths on an aging platform.

• Prelude (Australia): Blackouts and crew evacuations.

• Shearwater (North Sea, 2024): Nitrogen leak caused deck collapse with “fatal potential.”

Now Trinidad joins the map of Shell’s “zero harm” ironies.

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Investors, Take Note

Shell’s biggest backers—BlackRock and Vanguard—boast about ESG oversight. Yet here’s Shell, accused of covering up toxic exposure and bungling worker protection. If ESG really means anything, maybe start by asking why “safety” only seems to exist in Shell press releases.

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Disclaimer

Warning: satire ahead. The criticisms are pointed, the humour intentional, and the facts stubbornly real. Quotes are reproduced word-for-word from trusted sources. As for authorship—John Donovan and AI both claim credit, but the jury’s still out on who was really in charge.

This website and sisters royaldutchshellgroup.com, shellnazihistory.com, royaldutchshell.website, johndonovan.website, shellnews.net, and shellwikipedia.com, are owned by John Donovan. There is also a Wikipedia segment.