By JENNY ACHILLES-Port Arthur News Staff Writer

BRIDGE CITY -- Jim Bachelor saved a life while going about his work duties.

An unassuming hero, Bachelor takes no credit for himself.

"It's something that anybody would have done," he said. "I was put in the right place at the right time."

Bachelor credits his company and its focus on safety. He works as a refinery consultant for United Laboratories International, LLC, which is based in Duncan, Okla.

He was in Brazil when a Brazilian refinery worker was exposed to dangerous chemicals that left him unconscious. Bachelor saw the man and went to investigate.

"He was unconscious when I found him," Bachelor said.

As he reached the man, Bachelor's hydrogen sulfide monitor went off. ULI supplies its workers with BW Technology hydrogen sulfide meters, Larry Martin, ULI vice president and general manager, said.

Knowing how dangerous this substance is, Bachelor moved the worker to a clear area before seeking medical attention for him.

"Since I had the alarm and the monitor I was able to realize the atmosphere we were in and get out," Bachelor said.

Bachelor's company sends him to areas in the U.S. and world-wide to decontaminate towers, vessels and equipment in refineries. "I just kind of float wherever they need me," Bachelor said.

One of the elements that he removes from refineries is hydrogen sulfide. The company uses chemicals to return the sites to safe levels of this substance. "This unique formulation (of chemicals) allows the Zyme-Flow process to attack, break down and emulsify not only hydrocarbon liquids but also the vapors within a process vessel," Martin said.

The chemicals are environmental-friendly and safe to handle, Bachelor said.

Hydrogen sulfide deadens the nerves so that the smell is not detected, he said. It also affects victims' breathing.

"It does have a rotten egg smell in low concentrations," Bachelor said.

The smell, however, cannot be detected when encountered in high concentrations.

In the Brazilian refinery, Petrobras, Bachelor and the other workers had decontaminated the infected area, but chemicals entered from another area through an open valve and recontaminated the area.

"We had evacuated the area," he said. "They (Petrobras workers) thought they had resolved the issue." When Bachelor saw the Brazilian worker lying on the floor, he went over to him. As he reached the man, Bachelor's monitor went off. Bachelor knew that the area was contaminated with hydrogen sulfide, so he moved the worker before finding medical assistance.

"I went over to report the emergency," Bachelor said.

As he walked, Bachelor passed another worker receiving medical attention for chemical exposure. If Bachelor had not had the monitor, he might have gone to assist the man and have been affected himself.

"We wear the monitors for that very reason," Bachelor said. "Without that monitor, I could have been laying there with him." The dangers of hydrogen sulfide are the very reason why ULI specializes in removing the substance from refineries, he said. "(ULI is) very safety-conscious and environment-friendly," Bachelor said.

His wife agreed, "It's been a really good company."

Randy Ranes, ULI North American sales manager, presented a plaque to Bachelor at a company saftey meeting in Port Arthur on Thursday.

While Bachelor may not think he did anything out of the ordinary, Martin said the company is proud of him. The Brazilian worker was also grateful.

"That was one appreciative gentleman," Deanna Bachelor said. Petrobras is now looking into purchasing monitors for their employess, Jim Bachelor said.