Fatalities among oil and gas workers are now reportedly at the highest level since numbers were made available in 1992 by the U.S. Bureau of Labor and Statistics. And while nonfatal accidents in the industry dropped in 2011, the number of accidents has apparently again increased since that time. At least four oil and gas workers died in Pennsylvania in 2011.
Many of the fatalities reported were as a result of transportation accidents. Drivers often have to travel on rural or isolated roads that may not be as safe as many of our highways. Long shifts also contribute to driver fatigue. The data from 2012 also appeared to indicate that more of older workers were dying upon the job, there were higher numbers of individuals falling from heights, and there were more such workers dying from fires or explosions.
Though nonfatal injuries in the oil and gas field is reported to be below the average for other private industries, the sorts of accidents that do occur appear to be more likely to end in a fatality. The rate of fatalities in fact is said to be five to seven times higher than for the average private employer.
If you are suffering from workplace injuries and are unsure of your options, please do speak to an experienced workers’ compensation attorney. These attorneys can help you receive the compensation that may badly be needed.
Without question, there are certain kinds of industries that do result in more worker-related fatalities. These relate to many sorts of occupations that others choose to avoid. We need to compensate these victims and their families in the event that an accident does occur.
Source: Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, “Oil and gas fatalities spike with boom,” Anya Litvak, Nov. 30, 2013