Victims of Oil Field Accidents Face Life-Altering Circumstances

According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC), accidents during oil and gas drilling claim about 100 lives a year.

The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), found that a worker in the oil and gas industry is six times more likely to die on the job than the average American worker. Extracting oil is a considerably dangerous business, whether it’s performed onshore or offshore.

Survivors of oil field accidents face the challenge of returning to life as it was prior to the accident. Families who lost a loved one through an unfortunate accident also suffer from the agony of their loss including the complications of covering funeral costs and future living expenses. The Enriquez Law Firm helps victims and their families receive the compensation necessary to improve and secure their future after a life-altering accident.

Accidents Range From Burns to Collisions With Heavy Equipment

Oil rig dangers are extensive given that this line of work deals with intense pressure, highly combustible materials, and heavy equipment.

The most common oil field accidents include:

• Burns – Oil field workers face the challenge of working amongst flammable gases and vapors. If these gases are released from wells, tanks, trucks, generators, engines, or any other production equipment, fires or explosions can result. Many times when lightning, static, cigarettes, or a worker’s equipment comes into contact with machines, it results in open flames.
• Falls – Oil field workers are required to work in locations high off the ground, making them more vulnerable to injuries. Falling from a drilling platform, at an elevated level, can cause severe and life-threatening injuries.
• Equipment – Cranes, hoists, derricks, and other heavy equipment pose a great risk to oil field workers. Workers are generally required to move pipes, transport heavy loads, and perform other tasks that include working with heavy equipment. When the equipment collides with workers, the result is usually severe bodily damage or death.
• Vehicle or transportation accidents – Four out of every 10 on-the-job deaths are a result of vehicle collisions. The majority of oilfield deaths are related to transportation, especially for workers who are required to drive from one site to another or travel on unsafe rural roads.

Other types of injuries include:

• Poor equipment maintenance
• Being struck by shrapnel or debris when oil or gas comes up at high pressure
• Using old rigs that aren’t properly secured
• Mistakes by an inexperienced or poorly trained worker
• Working on a well that has not been properly depressurized