Fatal accidents in the oil and gas industry fell from 50 to 33 in 2017. But, although the number of deaths decreased, the number of incidents where at least one fatality occurred increased. The industry is so dangerous due to the volatile nature of hazardous materials that surrounded the key processes, there are safety precautions in place that are heavily regulated, like gas detection equipment, but there is still a lot of room for accidents to occur. Prior to 1985, there was no data on fatal accidents, but despite increased health and safety legislation, oil refineries, particularly those offshore, are one of the most dangerous workplaces in the US.
Deepwater Horizon Disaster
The Deepwater Horizon oil spill off the coast of Louisiana in 2010 illustrates just how badly things can go wrong. Late at night on April 20, a massive explosion caused by a surge of natural gas breeching a concrete core killed 11 workers and injured a further 17. The platform capsized and sank, allowing millions of gallons of crude oil to discharge through the ruptured riser into the Gulf of Mexico. It was one of the worst environmental disasters in modern times.
But, while the Deepwater Horizon disaster made headlines around the world, there have been many other lower profile incidents on oil rigs and refineries.
An explosion at an oil refinery in Texas killed 15 workers, and 180 more were injured. BP, which was also involved in the Deepwater Horizon incident, was linked to the refinery in Texas. It was later fined more than $80 million for lax safety standards at the Texas refinery. The financial cost of the Deepwater Horizon disaster is still ongoing.
The Anacortes Explosion
In another incident in Anacortes, north of Seattle, six men died in a huge conflagration. Accident investigators found that Tesoro, the owner of the site, had disregarded safety regulations, failed to maintain equipment and continued to operate equipment that was failing. Workers affected by the disaster later complained that Tesoro fought them every step of the way and refused to accept any responsibility for what happened.
Many experts believe that large oil companies are more interested in profiteering than investing in the health and safety of their workers. The companies disagree, but workers who regularly put their lives on the line to manage potentially fatal situations know better.
Pies and Profiteering
One worker described how his company rewarded him and his co-workers with pies for successfully preventing numerous propane gas explosions on-site – all because the company was slow in following recommendations from a previous incident. It seems that safety comes in second place to profit-making.
If you are involved in an accident on an oil or gas refinery, it’s vital that you speak to a houston plant explosion lawyer.
Explosions, chemical leaks, gas leaks and fires are regular occurrences on oil and gas rigs. Workers wear protective gear, but this doesn’t always protect them from heavy equipment swinging around and lax safety procedures caused by weak management.
When accidents do occur, help is not necessarily close at hand. If workers have to abandon their rig, floating pods are their only protection from the elements until help arrives.
Working on offshore rigs also means a lot of time spent away from home and family in inhospitable conditions. The upside of working in such a dangerous environment is that the pay is often better than average, even if you need to speak to a Houston TX plant explosion attorney.