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This week, we present a special episode of Reveal produced by our partners at StoryWorks, a documentary theater company. “When Lighting the Voids” is an audio drama inspired by Reveal’s investigation into a deadly explosion at a Mississippi shipyard. This deconstructed mystery is based on real accounts, real events and real people.

This week’s show was produced by StoryWorks. “When Lighting the Voids” was created by Jon Bernson and Jennifer Welch. Bernson wrote, scored and designed the show. Welch was the producer and director. You can learn more about their work at storyworkstheater.org.

Sound engineers for this week’s show were Zari Moore and Derrick Richardson. Dionna Malone was the assistant director. Special thanks to Cortheal Clark.

Actors on this week’s show were Lisa Shattuck, Robert Estes, Alec Barnes, Todd d’Amour, Sherri Marina, Chris Phillips, Aallyah Wright, Frederick Mead, Beth Bartley, Kayla Banks, Zachary Paige-Westbrook, Christopher Robinson, Eduardo Losan and Alexandria Lofton.

Story inspired by reporting from Jennifer Gollan of Reveal. 

Thanks to Dillard University and the W.K. Kellogg Foundation for their support of today’s show.

Reveal’s production manager is Mwende Hinojosa. Engineering by Jim Briggs and Fernando Arruda, who had help from Amy Mostafa. 

Support for Reveal is provided by the Reva and David Logan Foundation , the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation , the Jonathan Logan Family Foundation , the Ford Found , the Heising-Simons Foundation , Democracy Fund , and the Ethics and Excellence in Journalism Foundation .

Reveal transcripts are produced by a third-party transcription service and may contain errors. Please be aware that the official record for Reveal’s radio stories is the audio.

Hey, it is your favorite host in all of podcastdom. Now, for the rest of the year, I’m going to be asking you to join us by becoming a member of Reveal. Reveal is all about going deep, pulling on threads, telling stories that matter.

For more than three years now, Reveal has been fighting a lawsuit that’s been jeopardizing our very existence. It’s over a story we did about an organization called Planet Aid. Our story raised serious questions about whether international aid was actually reaching the people it was intended to help, and what’s more, our story was truthful and we stand by it. We believe it’s our duty to fight attacks like this. But fighting a lawsuit comes at a huge cost. Our legal fees alone total more than $7 million. Luckily, we have pro bono legal support to help our in-house counsel, but it still takes significant resources, resources that should be used to do more public service journalism. This kind of investigative journalism, well, it takes time and it costs money.

If you believe in the work we do, the absolute best way to support us is by becoming a member of Reveal. To do it, just text the word reveal to 474747. Standard data rates apply, and you can text stop or cancel at any time. Also, all new members who donate at least $5 a month will get our facts tee-shirt. Again, just text the word reveal to 474747. And to all of you who already support our work, I want to offer a deep sincere thanks. We can’t do this work without you. We’re looking forward to 2020. We have big things planned, so let’s go do some good work together.

When I lift the blanket, you’re going to grab his hand.

Wrap him up, then get that burn blanket around his leg!

And what’s the deal? Let’s get out of here!

All right, buddy, we’re going to give you a little something for the ride.

Come on, Bram, open up.

This is When Lighting the Voids, a special presentation of Reveal from the Center for Investigative Reporting and PRX. I’m Al Letson. Today we bring you an audio drama that deconstructs the mystery around a deadly 2009 explosion at a Mississippi shipyard. It’s inspired by one of our investigations and produced by our partners at StoryWorks, a documentary theater company. This dramatization is based on real accounts, real events and real people, people like Clyde Payne, a tenacious OSHA director who investigates the tragedy, Joey Pettey, a shipyard painter, who risked his life to save people trapped on board the burning ship, and is now in therapy, and Bram Ates, a young shipyard worker who was caught in the explosion.

Our story opens in a hospital burn unit, where Bram is lying in bed. He’s in a coma, slipping in and out of a dream state. It’s the middle of the night, and Bram’s mother Liz is sitting in the room watching over him.

A Bronco with a white top, metallic Ranchero, a gray, beat-up F-150, a McDonald’s monster truck with the skull on the roof and them oversized tires. That was your favorite for a while. I can’t believe you don’t remember them. Remember when Nicky chucked your cars out into the cow field? I know you do, and Nikki was mad at you so he scattered your Hot Wheels every which way. You were so pissed off. But you stayed out in the cord grass all damn day on your hands and knees. Son, you didn’t give up and you didn’t stop until you found each and every one of them.

We’re going to have to change Bram’s bandages when the next shift starts.

Can I walk you out?

Well, all right. Drive safe, Mrs. Ates. The weather outside is frightful.

Santa, you’re here early. Don’t take this wrong, but it ain’t even Thanksgiving. Well, it’s almost Thanksgiving, I guess.

Begging your pardon, Santa, if I ever get out of here, I’ll take care of that, I promise.

Heard you were laid up.

Been freezing my ass off.

That’s not the winter you feel. The chill is from the burns.

Guess I’m pretty messed up, ain’t I?

You got some tough going ahead.

You’re a little more complicated than those TV specials make you out to be.

For the kids, we try to keep it simple.

You’ve been good this year.

You didn’t have to.

That’s what I do. Merry Christmas, Bram. Ho, ho, ho.

Don’t get me wrong, they offered up counseling.

Why didn’t you go for it, Mr. Pettey?

I needed to feed my family.

You could have gone to therapy while you were working. Isn’t that what you’re doing now?

You go see a shrink, they run you off straight away.

For seeking therapy after an accident on their job site, which they offered you.

Joey, they can’t fire you for that.

Okay, [inaudible 00:06:48]. They can’t fire you for seeing a psychiatrist.

They can’t fire you for seeing a psychologist, but they can fire you for putting a air horn back in the wrong locker.

It’s a cone attached to a hose for ventilation.

Oh, so you can breathe.

Yes, ma’am, but what I’m getting at is it could be anything, forgetting to clean out your blasting gun, or showing up two minutes late for the-

You go see a shrink, you’re a liability in their eyes, so to speak.

So no one took the therapy.

Oh, yeah, yeah, some of them guys took it, but they was sent back to the house real quick over stupid stuff, you know.

Are you saying they got fired?

So that’s why you didn’t take the therapy.

After working the shipyard for a while, you learn not to show any signs of weakness.

I wasn’t going to tell anyone I needed therapy, and besides, I didn’t think I needed help at the time.

You are here now, Mr. Pettey. Why now?

Here I am, more than a year later. I can still see them guys’ bodies, like it was yesterday. Just like I remember Bram coming above deck after the fire with his hands freaking out from the smoke and his fingernails charred, and blood streaming from his fingertips like Spider Man. So finally I decided to get some help on my own out my own pocket because it messes with your mind, and that’s why I asked you if you have worked with anyone in the industry before.

I have, but more importantly I have worked a lot with trauma victims.

Even more important? I need to know that you ain’t working with any of these yards. They got every lawyer within a 100 miles on retainer.

By law, everything that we discuss here is completely confidential.

Mm-mm (negative), the law is one thing. I need your word on that before God. I got a wife and four kids. They’re counting on me. I’m counting on you.

God, my word, and the law, too.

Moss Point police and emergency crews converged at the Escatawpa Shipyard after a massive explosion rocked the tugboat Achievement. VT Halter Marine CEO Bill Skinner spoke with reporters in Moss Point.

We haven’t identified an exact cause. Shipyards can be dangerous, but all our workers are trained to uphold certain safety standards. We go through safety orientation and have a dedicated safety officer on staff who is working tirelessly to get to the bottom of this. We’re deeply concerned about the families and our sympathy goes out to them at this time.

Three confirmed victims were taken to Singing River Hospital and another was airlifted to the USA Burn Unit in Mobile, Alabama.

I don’t get too many 911 calls, so let’s just go to it, huh?

Sure. I’m the CEO for VT Halter Marine in Mississippi, and we just had a very large explosion over at our Escatawpa yard.

At least two. I got EMTs on site right now.

Well, I’m sorry to hear that. Look, not to be insensitive or anything, Bill, but you know that I’m based in Atlanta now.

We need strong legal representation. I heard you’re the guy when it comes to defending the smaller yards, like ours.

Correct, non-union. We got a small staff, nothing like Ingalls or Austal.

No, I understand, but I don’t come cheap.

Hoping to get what I pay for.

Well, you will. Let’s talk in the morning. Does 9:00 a.m. work for you?

Ed, OSHA will be here first thing in the morning.

Who’s handling the case?

Clyde Payne. He’s the area director in Jackson, I believe.

Tell you what, Bill, you book me a flight.

Before you do though, one question. Were you on the site when the explosion took place?

Okay, how about your safety officer? Bill, please tell me that you have a safety officer on your staff.

I do, but she wasn’t there either.

Business class, window seat, and don’t go anywhere. I got some ducks that you’re going to need to get in a row before tomorrow morning. I’ll text you.

Joey, you said that it feels like the explosion happened yesterday.

Not exactly, it’s when I close my eyes at night, the whole series of events, it just keeps playing over and over again, like a skipping CD. It never goes away.

Those are symptoms of trauma, possibly PTSD.

It’s not just something soldiers go through.

I didn’t get burned, no concussion or nothing.

You were in a horrific situation that you couldn’t process in the moment. Now that you’ve got some distance, your mind is trying to make sense of what you had to bury. The problem is you have not been allowing that process to happen. You work, you stay busy, but whenever you slow down, it is right there waiting for you, and it always will be until you give your mind the chance to heal.

You want to put me on some meds? I don’t want to turn into no vegetable.

Every one is different. Some people shut down, get depressed and isolate. Others get anxiety, become hypervigilant, angry, even violent, pretty extreme differences. I’m not going to recommend anything until we’ve talked about your situation.

Exactly what I don’t want to do.

It’s counterintuitive, because in the beginning, talking about it will be more painful. The part of the mind that stores emotional memories is called the amygdala and the confusing thing about this primitive region of our minds is that it has no sense of time. It doesn’t know whether this explosion happened last year when you were a child or yesterday. By recounting it over and over again, we’re going to share that memory with the higher order parts of your brain.

Sounds like feeding the beast, as they say.

Actually, the more times you recount the explosion, the more distance it will give you. It will help you become desensitized to the experience and control your emotional responses.

How many times you talking about? How long does it all take?

It’s different with everyone, but most see an improvement in about three months.

Three months, you got to be shitting me.

Look, Joey, you are a hard-working guy. You wouldn’t be in those shipyards if you weren’t tough. Perhaps you could look at this as a job. It’s going to take some time. We can’t skip steps. What do they say? Measure once, cut twice.

It’s measure twice, cut once, but I catch your meaning.

Don’t throw those bandages away.

You won’t be needing them, Bram.

You’re on the mend. Have a look.

These ain’t my legs.

Use them or lose them, Bram.

What happened to my legs?

They still work, don’t they?

Santa, they ain’t mine.

Yes, they are, but you got new skin on account of the burns. Look at your hands. I took skin off your backside and used some pig skin, too.

The burn doc thinks you blocked the flames with your hands.

They look like waffles or something.

Ah, don’t think about that now. Best to start walking.

It’s not your time, Bram. Now, rest up, son.

Don’t even look at that light, Bram. It’s not your time.

Hang on a second, Joey. Help me understand the purpose of these empty compartments.

Ships carry different types of fluids in different tanks. Fuel oil, diesel oil, gas oil, fresh water, salt water. You don’t want them mixing together under any conditions. So you got these tanks and they’re called voids, which are basically empty compartments between larger spaces on a ship. Some call them cofferdams, probably because each section really is about the size of a coffin.

Why would you need to work inside of one?

Before a ship gets launched, the void need to be blasted, buffed, cleaned, sealed, painted, everything we do to the rest of a ship. Working in the voids is for smaller guys, like myself, because it’s a cramped space. Big fellows can’t even fit down in them. The explosion happened in the port side of the lower bottom void, but the [inaudible] still had to finish the lower bottoms on the starboard side.

So the boat didn’t blow up in the explosion.

No, nah, nah. We was back working on that boat a week afterward.

Everyone who survived or wasn’t injured.

And OSHA was still investigating the accident.

Yeah, that took six months, but the show must go on. That could have been what really messed me up as far as the flashbacks go. It’s hard not to think about them guys while I was working.

Son of a mother, found it.

They got someone to let you in?

God willing and the creek don’t rise.

All right, call me when you’re done, boss.

Afternoon, Clyde Payne, Occupational Safety and Health Administration.

You all closed down today?

On account of the accident.

See that lot on the right? Just park there. They’re on their way.

Clyde Payne, OSHA area director.

Clyde, this is Ed Foulke.

You all know each other?

Of course. It’s good to see you again.

Everybody at OSHA knows Ed. Head of OSHA under George W. and all. I didn’t realize you were working with VT Halter.

I retired last year. Now I’m over at Fisher and Phillips in Atlanta.

Okay, right, I forgot about your law degree. Didn’t take you long to move over to the private sector.

You know Obama wasn’t going to hire me, and a man does have to make a living.

That’s what those young men were thinking when they showed up to work on Friday.

Well, we’re all here to make sure that that does not happen again.

I’m going to hold you to that.

You hold me to it. We’re going to get a lot more accomplished if we work together.

That’s good to here. So now that I have your full cooperation, let’s get down to a few questions.

Whenever you have a fatality, or in this case fatalities plural, we dedicate more resources and manpower. A few general questions. Where did the explosion take place?

In the engine room of the Achievement.

And did you witness the incident?

Were you onsite at the time?

Okay, then, anecdotally speaking, can you tell me what happened?

We believe it was a gas fire. Huge, but it burned itself out quick. You got your main propulsion engine right there. It switches between diesel and heavy fuel, which luckily didn’t catch. Otherwise, we wouldn’t be standing here.

Did the fire cause that damage I saw on the port side hull?

Unfortunately, the emergency crews had to cut out that section of the hull in order to remove Dwight Monroe, one of the deceased.

They had to cut into the hull? Why is that?

The body was difficult to get to.

As I’m sure you know, the access open into the void is very small.

Did you have guys in here?

Yes, sir, they were prepping the voids and the engine room to be sprayed.

We’re still trying to determine who was working here at the exact moment of the explosion.

I’m going to need that list of names ASAP.

And do you access the voids from the engine room.

Yes, sir, there’s only one entry point on the port side, which is right here.

If you need to get down there, I can help you.

Oh, I don’t, I don’t think that’s going to be necessary. You can’t hardly see a thing. You all got a flashlight?

This is the only opening?

Yes, sir, on the port side.

And it runs forward all the way to the bow, which is where they had to cut out the deceased.

It doesn’t even look like you’d be able to stand up.

No, sir. It’s just a crawlspace.

About two or three feet of clearance, typical dimensions for a cofferdam on a tug.

Sure is tidy in here. It’s hard to believe this is where it happened. Cleanest job site I’ve seen in a long time.

Well, Clyde, now you know how flash fires are. They burn up those vapors real quick.

What’s that sound I’m hearing?

Two blowers and one dust collector.

See, they’ve been running blowers all night to clear out any smoke and residual fumes.

Same blowers you were using yesterday for ventilation.

As far as I know. Mona may have moved on over from another vessel after the explosion to make sure everything was completely safe.

Mona Dixon, she’s our safety officer.

Was she on site at the time of the explosion?

Who was supervising your yard yesterday, Mr. Skinner?

Danny Cobb. Cobb is one of our most knowledgeable guys. He’s been working in these yards a long time.

But he was one of the first to respond after the incident.

We gave all our guys the day off.

Now the workers need time to grieve, and VT Halter has offered to provide the employees with counseling as well.

When do you expect Cobb to be back? It sounds like he should be one of our first interviews.

And these blowers, the ones going right now, you say a few of these were going at the time of the explosion.

Welcome to McDonald’s. [inaudible]

Sausage, egg, and cheese, make that two. I’m going to need a coffee, a big, a large, a venti, a venti coffee, three sugars.

You got that list of solvents?

By 5:00 p.m. in your inbox.

Starting tomorrow, I need you on this Halter case with me full-time.

They got Ed Foulke on retainer.

Director of OSHA under George W.?

Okay, and here are your drinks.

Perform the impossible task of cutting OSHA positions and lowering fatalities at the same time.

Son of a bitch, and now he’s working for Halter.

Another one bites the dust. He’s a partner in a firm in Atlanta.

And a mind-reader, I’m guessing.

Knows the entire OSHA playbook. Always one step ahead of me.

But if they hired Foulke, we know something’s up.

Something is most definitely up.

And here are your food items.

Just finish the solvent report. We’ll pick this up at 9:00 a.m. tomorrow.

We’ll be back with more When Lighting the Voids in just a minute. This is Reveal.

From the Center for Investigative Reporting and PRX, this is Reveal. I’m Al Letson. Today, we’re bringing you an audio drama, When Lighting the Voids, from our partners at StoryWorks. It’s inspired by our investigation into an explosion at a Mississippi shipyard that left two people dead and others seriously injured. The story picks up with a flashback to the day of the incident. A group of yard workers are gathered around Danny Cobb as he passes out job assignments for the day.

Morning, boys. Busy day ahead. Main job is getting the Achievement prepped for spring. The bulk of you, Nettles, Bram, and you all, mask off that whole engine room fore to aft, top to bottom, corner to corner. Each one of them electric panels is going to be taped off nice and clean. Dwight, Juan, Alex, you all are going to be in the port side voids making sure it’s ready for paint. I need you to buckeye them weld seams, block off all that rust, and make sure everything’s cleaned out, spotless, with MEK.

And when that’s done, I’m going to have Pettey spray it this afternoon. After that, I want you all to come and get me so I can check it. Bill Skinner just pulled up, so you all be on your best. Well, all right, let’s get to it.

Hurricane set us back a few days, but we made up some time yesterday on that [Crowley] hull.

How about the Achievement prep?

Oh, I got guys in the engine room right now, plus a few in the voids. Should be ready for spraying by noon.

I haven’t looked at your budget yet. What’s the latest?

We had to pay out some overtime this week, but we’re coming in under budget on gear, sand, paint, et cetera. This tug is going to be in the water on time, if I have to camp out in the wheelhouse.

You’re speaking my language.

I’m speaking the truth. Next year this time, we’ll be working for the Navy.

Those subs are worth their weight in gold.

We’re going to get that contract.

You got more faith in Uncle Sam than I do, but we got a shot.

All right, that does it for me. Got to run.

Nettles and Ates, you all got to wrap those electrical panels in plastic. Foil them wires and tape off the valve.

Pony tail, you all got to-

I was stressed ’cause I thought I was going to be late to work.

We sent you back to the house, man.

The entire ride over here, she said things you should never say.

I’m sure you said a few things of your own.

I did, but you just don’t say certain things, no matter how bad it gets.

Like what? I wish you was dead.

That’s the nicest thing she said.

Hey, do you smell something?

Man, it smells like trouble, and it’s always something with you two. Seriously, man, have you ever thought about calling it off?

No, man, I love her kids just like they was mine, but that’s not what I’m getting at. Butterscotch and acetone, you don’t smell that?

You need a light? Mr. Cobb? Mr. Cobb?

What’s up, Pettey? You done?

Hull is ready for them guys to come over and clean it.

They finished in the voids?

No, sir, no. I’d say they got about another 30.

Yes, sir, yeah. The thing is they ain’t got no blowers or fans down there. I was hoping to go get a blower or a fan from the locker before I went down there?

I wish I could, but I can’t open up that tool room.

I ain’t going down there without no fan.

I ain’t asking you to get over there, Pettey.

I got you on that point.

Tell you what, I’m done with all the crafty delays. So put on your fancy mask and get it done.

I ain’t spraying without no ventilation.

You can go and try and find yourself some ventilation.

You know I can’t get in that tool room without you opening it.

Like I said, you can go and find something, but I need you down there spraying when them guys are done. Rumor has it that should be in about 30 minutes.

Cobb wouldn’t let you into the tool locker?

Said he couldn’t open it.

So you went to look for one on another job site.

But you weren’t supposed to be there.

I wasn’t not supposed to be there, doc.

So wait, what’s an air horn again?

It looks like a cone, which you attach to a hose, and then that hose is attached to an air compressor. It’s nothing compared to the gear we should have been using, but an air horn was the best I could do. The messed up thing, there were brand new masks and air horns just rusting away in that tool room. There I was trying to scab in somebody else’s. I knew there might be one in an overturned Crowley hull on the south side of the yard. I figured I could borrow it while I sprayed the voids.

No one. When I think back on it, the hair stands up on the back of my neck. I was walking on the ceiling of an upside down ship in the pitch black darkness. You follow? It had all these exposed nails sticking up on the floor, side panels. Did you ever see one of those Freddy Krueger movies from back in the day?

I can’t believe you had to work that hard just to find a mask.

Working like a Hebrew slave. It was nothing new, but getting down on my chest and crawling across a ceiling on a bed of nails, well, that was a first. I scooted further aft, scanning from side-to-side with my headlamp until I finally found it, like the Holy Grail, just hanging on a six-inch nail. At the time, I was cursing my fate in that overturned Crowley hull, but the good Lord was looking after me that day.

God dang, you don’t smell that?

I don’t smell nothing. Well, except them stinky-ass boxers. Oh, man.

Yeah, funny, more like those socks you’ve been wearing for like a month straight.

Oh, these here? Brand spanking new. Walmart, $3.

Seriously, man, that’s MEK.

Man, I can’t smell a thing, but then again I ain’t got no sense of smell. I tell you what though, they got the wrong lights.

They just got them regular bulbs.

Dwight, Alex, I don’t know, maybe Juan.

And you didn’t say nothing?

I don’t fuck with other people’s shit.

Not me, I love fucking with other people’s shit. Hey, people, you all need fresh air, in and out.

Hey, people, you all need fresh air, in and out.

Even my mom likes it, man.

Your mom listens to Linkin Park?

Oh, I made her listen. She’s visiting from Florida. Bless you.

Hold on. I though you were from Puerto Rico.

I am, but my mom and my sister got me moved here a few years ago.

Oh, so you were jamming out with your mom.

We stayed up last night going through old photos, man. I must have listened to that song five times. I don’t think she got it at first, you know? Then she finally said, “That is a good message in that song.”

What’s the lead singer’s name again?

I heard he almost quit music before he joined Linkin Park.

Yeah, his first band never went anywhere.

It just goes to show, man.

Seriously, man, it’s making me sick to my stomach.

I couldn’t smell a strip of bacon if you stuck it in my nose, but I tell you one thing, they done brought the wrong lights down there.

Hey, people, you all got the wrong lights.

We’re not messing around, you all.

Okay, we hear you, bro.

You all need fresh air, in and out.

Yo, man, go take five. Listen to your lungs, you need some fresh air. Go on, I’m right behind you.

Hey, I know you all can hear me.

I’m coming, I’m coming.

I shouldn’t be smelling this the way I am.

You sure took your sweet time.

Be cool, bro, I can barely turn around down here.

Hey, pass me that light.

Careful now, you see my hand?

Listen to yourself, man. I told you that was too strong.

I’m going to get some air.

And grab them explosion-proof bulbs on your way back.

Lay that lamp down over there. Don’t turn it off, it might spark.

Yo, Juan, is Alex down there?

Yeah, and the light is, too, somewhere.

Hey, Alex, pass up them lights!

Hey! Ow, oh my god. Help me!

Hey, man, hey, Nettles, your head’s on fire. Hey, you need to put your head out. Anyone down there?

Hey, Nettles, get him to the guard shack!

Let’s just get you to the shack. Hey, we got guys in the void.

Call 911, and Nettles, you meet me down there.

Hang on to that air horn, we’re going to use some of that air.

Where the hell’s Cobb at?

Just move your legs, man. Go with Juan. I’m going below. Hey, hey, Pettey?

Engine room. Hey, Nettles, put your headlamp on. It’s pitch black.

No, nah, nah, man. I’m going down to the voids, all right?

Hey, I’ll feed the hose to you. Take a breath before you give him a breath, and then be careful. It might explode again.

Hey, Nettles, don’t leave me, man.

Hey, man, hey! Hey, you all right? Can you hear me, man?

Oh, hey, man. Hey, we’re going to get you out of here. He’s knocked out. I’m going to give him some air. Come on. I don’t think he’s breathing.

Hey, he’s got to be dead. Anybody else down there? Where’s Monroe?

Oh, he could be further forward.

Let’s get this guy out first. Fuck’s sake!

I just tried to grab his belt and there ain’t no belt. It’s just his buckle burned to his stomach.

Oh, what the fuck, man! Pettey, you’re sure he’s alive?

How about getting down here and finding out?

Oh, goddamn it all! Pettey, how are we going to get him up through the hole?

All right, I’m going to tie my sweatshirt around his chest. Reach down in here and grab him by the top of the arms of the sweatshirt.

Grab him by the top of the arms of the sweatshirt, I got you.

Yeah, I think his joints are all shot. Nettles, he’s like a bag of bones, so don’t grab him by his hands and nothing.

All right, get some of that light from your headlamp on him if you can.

All right, hold on. Come on, man. Nettles, grab him!

I got him, I got him!

Up we go, up we go.

Oh mother of mercy, I can’t even tell who he is!

You’re listening to When Lighting the Voids. We’ll be back with more in a minute.

From the Center for Investigative Reporting and PRX, this is Reveal. I’m Al Letson. And now the final act of our audio drama, When Lighting the Voids, from our partners at StoryWorks. We’re at the VT Halter shipyard on the Gulf Coast of Mississippi, the site of a deadly explosion. OSHA’s on the scene investigating, and Joey Pettey is back on the job. He’s painting the same ship that was in flames just one week earlier. His boss, Danny Cobb, walks up on him.

What’s up with that bulkhead?

Well, you can get back to this tomorrow. They need you over at the Moss Point yard ASAP.

They can’t wait like 15 minutes?

They’re going to need a final coat on the pump room cofferdam before inspection tomorrow. It’s going to take the rest of the day.

I thought they just had an inspection.

Didn’t pass. They got another one tomorrow.

You sure this ain’t got nothing to do with them OSHA guys over there investigating the explosion?

Them guys ain’t none of your concern.

But they got something to do with the explosion, you best believe that-

Best to believe you got nothing to say, unless they ask you.

They ain’t going to ask me shit if I’m over at Moss Point.

Well, sooner or later, they will. But you stick to the questions and keep your opinions to yourself.

I ain’t got no opinions.

Just facts, Mr. Cobb. I got plenty of facts.

A job and a paycheck, two facts you best keep in mind.

Sorry I missed you, Clyde.

Let’s do the numbers.

We got [inaudible] at eight times the permissible exposure limit, acetone at 14 times the PEL, and methanol at 600 times the PEL. And that’s based on conservative calculations.

If the fire didn’t kill them, the fumes would have. Lord, have mercy.

How do you want to handle this one?

My recommendation to the OSHA board, make Halter purchase tracking software at all three sites, and put that under the purview of the tool room, specifically that each tool must be logged with an ID number and that, quote, “painters shall not check out lights unless they’re explosion proof.”

All those masks and blowers ain’t worth a damn unless they make it out of the locker.

Mandatory meetings and confined space training for all employees.

We’re looking at 1.3 million in fines.

Sounds like a lot, but you know Ed, he’ll try to downgrade.

He knows the drill. Be lucky if they pay a million when all is said and done.

Over my dead body. I’m flying to D.C.

Good morning. Welcome to Alaska Airlines, flight 589. If you have a large roll-

Good morning, ladies and gentlemen. My name is Clyde Payne. I’m based in Jackson, Mississippi where I serve as the area director of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration. Now I appreciate this opportunity to travel to Washington and to speak to you all directly about one of the most egregious cases I’ve investigated in my 23-year career. In my report, I documented 17 willful and 11 serious violations. VT Halter was aware of the hazard, and knowingly and willfully sent those boys into a confined space with an explosive and highly toxic atmosphere. They failed to test or prevent entry into that confined space, with a concentration of flammable vapors exceeded prescribed limits hundreds of times over. They permitted workers to use lights that were not explosion-proof, which is one of the most basic precautions imaginable. The resulting fire killed Alex Caballero and Dwight Monroe, and seriously injured two others.

Ladies and gentlemen of OSHA, I would urge you to move forward with all of the fines outlined before you, every single one. Uphold the requested penalty of $1.3 million and send a clear message to the entire industry, loss of life cannot be considered a natural cost of building ships. Workers and families across the Gulf Coast are counting on us to lay down the law.

Come on, boy. Come on, boy. Zeus, it’s time to go. Come on, boy, I got something for you. There’s mama.

Ain’t going to break my leg on these stairs.

Zeus, how are you, boy?

I’m worried about the river.

You got your sheet rock in.

I ain’t finished my room, but the kitchen’s done.

Why are you bringing your toaster?

The last time the water come up, they stole my appliances.

Sweet Jesus, how do they get in when the water’s up?

Boat in at night and break into the camps.

Her name is Angel, and you don’t know her.

It’s just for the month.

She’s paying the power bill, okay? I thought you’d be happy about that.

Well, anything’s better than your ex.

What’s up with the toy? She got a kid or something?

Wilder than a fifth ace.

She know about the water?

She ain’t got no phone.

You got to let them know.

That ship left the harbor.

Let’s roll, mama. The water’s coming up fast.

Eventually, yeah. It seemed like every time OSHA showed up, I was needed at one of the other yards right away. What could I tell them anyhow?

It sounds like you’re pretty angry at OSHA.

The best we got when it comes to safety, I don’t mean it’s perfect. But if you ask me, some of them guys are taking bribes to downplay the violations. Some of them are just stressed too thin or kind of budgetary reasons. None of them are getting rich on their salary. Top dogs, maybe, when they go to work as consultant or lawyers, but I don’t bear no grudges against them, not even against Danny Cobb. He done a lot of wrong doings to a lot of people over the years, some of it knowingly possibly, some of it lack of knowledge and stuff, but like the good book says, love thy friend, thy neighbor, and thy enemy. I don’t hold it against him personally. That’s on VT Halter.

Well, that’s a pretty generous outlook.

What comes around, goes around.

But how about the guys that died? Nothing came around for them.

Did the families of the deceased ever get any kind of settlement or anything? I’ve read that you can’t even sue a shipyard.

Oh, you can sue a shipyard, but not if you work for them. It’s pretty messed up. Employees can get Worker’s Comp, disability, but then you ain’t working for no shipyard again. You’re a marked man, so to speak.

That’s all I remember. I was hollering at them to give me them lights and to get out, but they gave me a light all right. The fire come out that hole. I put my hands down, I threw my head back to shield my face, but once it come up, I was locked in that one position for what felt like five minutes. It wasn’t that long though, because the explosion three me back about 10 foot. I replay it every day. The tangerine light, putting my hands down to shield my face, turning my head away from the fireball, all day, every day. It never stops and it never goes away.

I got to go, Santa, okay? But you call me back. It’s been too long.

You was talking to someone.

I just heard you talking is all.

I was leaving a voicemail.

Of course, you was. No one’s going to pick up the phone at this hour.

I couldn’t sleep last night.

Then go in my bedroom and close the shades.

You ain’t good. Son, you’re stuck.

All day, every day, it never stops and it never goes away.

I don’t know it like you know it, but I can’t tell you how many times you-

You have no fucking idea.

Take it easy. You’re under my roof. I am not criticizing. I’m just saying you got to get up and try. A job’s not going to come find you.

I said, take it easy.

That’s what I’m trying to do, take it easy.

What about that security job?

It’s been a week. Give them a call.

They’re going to do like everyone else, wondering why I ain’t worked in years. I tell them about my injury. They say they’ll call me, and then they don’t.

For the roofing and the shipbuilding jobs, I get it. You’ve been blackballed. But this is security work.

At a concrete yard. It’s all the same folks. Word gets around.

Son, I know you been through things that I will never understand, but attitude is everything. God don’t give us challenges we can’t overcome.

God saved me, but he damned me at the same time. Sometimes I think maybe I killed them guys. If I hadn’t asked them to change the lights, they might have just finished up and gone on about their business.

Or maybe those fumes would have built up even more, or maybe Juan would have died along with you and everyone in that engine room. Your intentions were pure. You can’t doubt yourself in that way.

It can’t be helped.

It can. You’re feeling guilty because you survived when others died, but no one blames you, except yourself. You may have lost that suit with Halter, but that’s because they’re protected by a bad law. This burden ain’t yours to bear. Son, you got to see someone. You got to talk to a psychologist or-

That’s not my thing, and you should know that by now.

People change. People have to change. And your life won’t change unless you change the way you been living. You have to adapt.

After I got my Worker’s Comp money, I thought I’d be able to move on. I got the camp, but that wasn’t no fresh start.

You got a fresh start, but a start is just the beginning. It wasn’t much money, but it was enough to get you on your feet. You got your life. You got your family. And if you can come back from all them burns, you can do anything you put your mind to.

I’ll call them, okay?

But I ain’t talking to no shrink.

What makes you say that?

It just feels sudden. I’m not judging your decision, but honestly, I’m shocked.

After all we talked about in here? I’m shocked you’re shocked.

I’m not surprised that you wanted to quit, just that you did. That’s all I meant when I said that something must have happened.

It’s true. Something did happen. Two decades happened. I got the lungs of a senior citizen. I’m done working them shipyards.

You sound really clear about it, but what about your family? Is your wife working?

Yeah. I’m going to be helping out with her business a little bit, but I’ve been getting into Bitcoin.

So you’re investing in cryptocurrency?

Been making more in one week than I made in a month working in them shipyards.

I don’t know much about investing, but when I hear about Bitcoin, I can’t help but think if it sounds too good to be true, then it probably is.

I worked hard for my money. I ain’t going to throw it all at just any one thing. Did an interview with a reporter from California a few weeks go.

She’s been investigating the explosion.

I recounted that story so many times, I could probably do a TED Talk.

And no flashbacks or anything?

What’s the story about exactly?

Shipyards. There have been other accidents at Halter. Lee [Tipido 01:01:00], sandblaster helper got killed on the job in 2012. Another guy got crushed by a crane that tipped over. The Navy don’t care. Awarded them a huge contract just one month after the explosion. You know, Halter only paid $800,000 in fines when all was said and done? Is that the price of two lives and all those injuries?

Did you tell the journalist?

She knew. It’s public record.

So you feel okay about this article?

I told her that a lot of people around here won’t take kindly to the media attention on the shipyards. They’re going to see it as a threat to their livelihood. But is a man’s livelihood worth more than his life?

I did. You take your life into your hands when you work in these yards. I don’t want to see people out of work. I don’t want to see the yard shut down. I don’t want to see the government regulate every single breath that a man takes, but we got to keep folks safe. I’m not sure how to do that. It’s above my paygrade. I tell you what though, the Navy should be giving contracts to yards who look after their people.

I got your message, Bram.

There you go again, speaking in riddles.

I get a lot of messages. Each one is important.

I get a lot of messages, too, but they’re all the same.

It’s good to see you. Season’s greetings.

Did you even listen to my messages though?

It took me a while, but I listened to them all.

Well, what did you think?

I think you’ve been through a lot this year. I understand why you’ve done what you’ve done.

I’ve been lost myself on more than one occasion.

I hear you, but you got steady work, a good woman, reindeer, elves, and shit like that.

You have a family, your own camp, a bulldog, and a truck.

Is that all you came here for, a list of things I should be happy about? Is that all you’re good for, high hopes and cheerful nonsense?

Is that all you’ve got, excuses, things you expect me to do for you?

I don’t expect no one to do nothing for me. I’m just looking for something I lost.

You’ve gone through hell. Folks have done you wrong and you didn’t get what you deserved. But I seen a lot of guys, and you’re tougher than most of them.

When you get old like me, you got to be tough in new ways, which makes it even tougher.

No one built me a workshop in the middle of the North Pole, and I’m just expected to keep it going, counted on year after year. Meanwhile, my property is melting, mostly on account of the parents of all the kids that I love. Now there’s a dilemma for you to ponder. It doesn’t get easier.

You’ll find a way.

What if I don’t?

Time will tell, I guess?

It’s not your time, Bram.

The night before Bram died, I dreamt I saw him in a gray coffin, same color as the Gulf itself. God gives us clues to prepare us for what lies ahead. How else do you explain my dream? It came out of the blue. I got a call from a nurse over at Singing River Hospital. Bram had gone into cardiac arrest, and he was in a coma. I couldn’t talk, couldn’t breathe, I just lost it. I thought they had the wrong kid. He hung on for a day, and at one point, his heart rate went up, which the doctor said was a good sign. But hours later, he just crashed. Five times they tried to resuscitate him, but after that, I told them, “Stop, just stop.” The second you’re born, you start dying. I just have to believe that his work was done. It don’t make it no easier.

Thanks to our partners at StoryWorks for bringing us today’s show. When Lighting the Voids was created by Jon Bernson and Jenna Welch, Jon also wrote, scored, and designed the show. Jenna was the producer and director. You can learn more about their work at storyworkstheater.org. Thanks to sound engineers, [Zaury] Moore, Derek Richardson, and Jason [Kick 00:56:08]. Assistant director was [Deanna] Malone, and special thanks to [Corthel Clark 01:01:00].

Our actors were Lisa Shattuck, Robert Parsons, Alec Barnes, Todd d’Amour, Sherri Marina, Chris [Philips 01:01:00], [Alea Wright 01:01:00], Frederick Mead, Beth Bartley, Caleb Banks, Zachary Page Westbrook, Christopher Robinson, Eduardo [Lusanne 01:01:00], and Alexandra Lofton. The story was inspired by reporting from Reveal’s Jennifer Gollan. We also want to thank Dillard University and the W.K. Kellogg Foundation for their support of today’s show.

Reveal’s production manager is Mwende Hinojosa. Our engineers are Jay Breeze, Mr. Jim Briggs, and Fernando, my man, Arruda. Christa Scharfenberg is our CEO. Matt Thompson is our Editor in Chief. Our executive producer is Kevin Sullivan. Our theme music is by [Camarato] Lightning.

Support for Reveal is provided by the Reva and David Logan Foundation, the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, the Jonathan Logan Family Foundation, the Ford Foundation, the Heising-Simons Foundation, the Democracy Fund, and the Ethics and Excellence in Journalism Foundation. Reveal is a co-production of the Center for Investigative Reporting and PRX. I’m Al Letson. And remember, there is always more to the story.

These are our last few shows of the year, and let me tell you, in 2020, we are bringing the fire, launching some of our most ambitious projects we’ve ever done. I cannot wait for you to hear them. Reveal is all about going deep, pulling on threads, telling stories that matter, and this kind of investigative journalism, well, it takes time and it costs money. These are the final weeks of our end-of-the-year membership campaign. We depend on listeners like you to help make this work possible. To support us, just text the word reveal to 474747. Standard data rates apply and you can text stop or cancel at any time. Again, just text the word reveal to 474747. All right, let’s go do some good work together.

Mwende Hinojosa is the production manager for Reveal. Prior to joining Reveal, she was the training strategist and innovation manager for the Bay Area Video Coalition, a nonprofit media arts center in San Francisco. At BAVC, she provided resources and support to students training in video, motion graphics, web and graphic design and managed a community for creative freelancers called Gig Union. She has produced segments for public radio stations KUSP, KQED, KALW and KUOW; videos and short documentaries for nonprofits; interactive panel discussions; and immersive storytelling experiences for tech companies. Hinojosa is based in Reveal’s Emeryville, California, office.

Jim Briggs III is the senior sound designer, engineer and composer for Reveal. He supervises post-production and composes original music for the public radio show and podcast. He also leads Reveal's efforts in composition for data sonification and live performances.

Prior to joining Reveal in 2014, Briggs mixed and recorded for clients such as WNYC Studios, NPR, the CBC and American Public Media. Credits include “Marketplace,” “Selected Shorts,” “Death, Sex & Money,” “The Longest Shortest Time,” NPR’s “Ask Me Another,” “Radiolab,” “Freakonomics Radio” and “Soundcheck.” He also was the sound re-recording mixer and sound editor for several PBS television documentaries, including “American Experience: Walt Whitman,” the 2012 Tea Party documentary "Town Hall" and “The Supreme Court” miniseries. His music credits include albums by R.E.M., Paul Simon and Kelly Clarkson.

Briggs' work with Reveal has been recognized with an Emmy Award (2016) and two Alfred I. duPont-Columbia University Awards (2018, 2019). Previously, he was part of the team that won the Dart Award for Excellence in Coverage of Trauma for its work on WNYC’s hourlong documentary special “Living 9/11.” He has taught sound, radio and music production at The New School and Eugene Lang College and has a master's degree in media studies from The New School. Briggs is based in Reveal's Emeryville, California, office.

Fernando Arruda is a sound designer, engineer and composer for Reveal. As a multi-instrumentalist, he contributes to the original music, editing and mixing of the weekly public radio show and podcast. He has held four O-1 visas for individuals with extraordinary abilities. His work has been recognized with Peabody, duPont-Columbia, Edward R. Murrow, Gerald Loeb, Third Coast and Association of Music Producers awards, as well as Emmy and Pulitzer nominations. Prior to joining Reveal, Arruda toured as an international DJ and taught music technology at Dubspot and ESRA International Film School. He worked at Antfood, a creative audio studio for media and TV ads, and co-founded a film-scoring boutique called the Manhattan Composers Collective. He worked with clients such as Marvel, MasterClass and Samsung and ad agencies such as Framestore, Trollbäck+Company, BUCK and Vice. Arruda releases experimental music under the alias FJAZZ and has performed with many jazz, classical and pop ensembles, such as SFJAZZ Monday Night Band, Art&Sax quartet, Krychek, Dark Inc. and the New York Arabic Orchestra. His credits in the podcast and radio world include NPR’s “51 Percent,” WNYC’s “Bad Feminist Happy Hour” and its live broadcast of Orson Welles’ “The Hitchhiker,” Wondery’s “Detective Trapp,” MSNBC’s “Why Is This Happening?” and NBC’s “Born to Rule,” to name a few. Arruda also has a wide catalog of composed music for theatrical, orchestral and chamber music formats, some of which has premiered worldwide. He holds a master’s degree in film scoring and composition from NYU Steinhardt. The original music he makes with Jim Briggs for Reveal can be found on Bandcamp.

Amy Mostafa (she/they) is the production manager for Reveal. She is a UC Berkeley School of Journalism alum, where she focused on audio and data journalism as a Dean's Merit Fellow and an ISF Scholar. She has reported on science, health and the environment in Anchorage for Alaska Public Media and on city government in Berkeley and San Francisco for KQED. Her work also has appeared on NPR, KALW and KALX. Mostafa holds a bachelor's degree in English literature and public policy. She has most recently reported on housing and aging in the Bay Area. She is based in Reveal’s Emeryville, California, office.

Jennifer Gollan is an award-winning reporter. Her investigation When Abusers Keep Their Guns, which exposed how perpetrators often kill their intimate partners with guns they possess unlawfully, spurred sweeping provisions in federal law that greatly expanded the power of local and state police and prosecutors to crack down on abusers with illegal firearms. The project won a 2022 Robert F. Kennedy Journalism Award and has been nominated for a 2022 Emmy Award.

Gollan also has reported on topics ranging from oil companies that dodge accountability for workers’ deaths to shoddy tire manufacturing practices that kill motorists. Her series on rampant exploitation and abuse of caregivers in the burgeoning elder care-home industry, Caregivers and Takers, prompted a congressional hearing and a statewide enforcement sweep in California to recover workers’ wages. Another investigation – focused on how Navy shipbuilders received billions in public money even after their workers were killed or injured on the job – led to tightened federal oversight of contractors’ safety violations.

Gollan’s work has appeared in The New York Times, The Associated Press, The Guardian US and Politico Magazine, as well as on PBS NewsHour and Al Jazeera English’s “Fault Lines” program. Her honors include a national Emmy Award, a Hillman Prize for web journalism, two Sigma Delta Chi Awards from the Society of Professional Journalists, a National Headliner Award, a Gracie Award and two Society for Advancing Business Editing and Writing awards. Gollan is based in the San Francisco Bay Area.

Kevin Sullivan is the executive producer of Reveal’s public radio show and podcast. He joined Reveal from the daily news magazine show “Here & Now,” where he was senior managing editor. There, he helped lead the expansion of the show as part of a unique partnership between NPR and WBUR. Prior to radio, Sullivan worked as a documentary film producer. That work took him around the world, with stories ranging from reconciliation in Northern Ireland to the refugee crisis during the war in Kosovo.

Following the 9/11 terrorist attacks, Sullivan launched an investigative unit for CBS in Baltimore, where he spearheaded investigations on bioterrorism and the U.S. government’s ability to respond to future threats. He also dug into local issues. His exposé of local judges found widespread lax sentencing of repeat-offender drunken drivers. Other investigations included sexual abuse by Roman Catholic priests, and doctors who sold OxyContin for cash. Sullivan has won multiple journalism awards, including several Edward R. Murrow awards, a Third Coast / Richard H. Driehaus Foundation Competition award and an Emmy. He has an MBA from Boston University.

Sullivan is based in Reveal's Emeryville, California, office.

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