Federal and state health and safety regulations are designed to minimize known risks and avoid accidents. Still, despite ongoing efforts to make the oilfields a safer workplace, death and injuries still occur when adequate attention is not given to matters of safety. The team at Farah Law examine the statistics and causes around why death and injury on the job in Texas oilfields is so common.
Statistics Regarding Workers Killed or Injured in Texas Oilfields
The Texas Tribune reported that Texas produced record amounts of oil and gas in 2023 supplying 42% of the nation’s oil. This is despite ongoing environmental concerns and federal legislation intended to hinder production. The oil and gas industry employs 480,000 Texans and those numbers should grow as continued record-breaking production is expected.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recently released a report discuss severe injuries to workers in the oil and gas extraction industry. Spanning the period between 2015 and 2022, it found that workers in Texas accounted for 54% of the nationwide 2,101 reported injuries.
The body parts most often reported as injured are as follows:
- Upper extremities (most often hands) – 43%
- Lower extremities (most often legs) – 18%
- Multiple body parts (or trunk) – 10%
Almost 100% of the injuries were traumatic with 35% involving open wounds and 28% affecting bones, nerves, or the spinal cord. The primary cause of injury was contact with objects or equipment (61%) followed by slips, trips, and falls (18%).
In 2022, Texas recorded 41 fatal occupational injuries relating to oil and gas extraction operations as reported by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). Over half of the workers who died (23) were involved in transportation incidents. Contact with objects or equipment was responsible for ten of the deaths and four workers were killed in fires or explosions.
Oilfield Safety Hazards Known to Cause Worker Injuries
Workers in Texas oilfields work with or near oil and gas – flammable and explosive. When safety precautions are not strictly adhered to or equipment fails, very bad things can happen. The Occupational Safety and Health Association (OSHA) recognizes the following safety hazards associated with oil and gas extraction:
- Motor Vehicle Crashes – Motor vehicle crashes are responsible for approximately four out of every ten workers killed.
- Hit by/Caught in or Between – These injuries are responsible for three of five on-site fatalities and can come from moving vehicles or equipment, falling equipment, and high-pressure lines.
- Explosions/Fires – Flammable vapors can escape during the production process and are susceptible to ignition from such sources as electrical energy, cutting and welding tools, and frictional heat.
- Falls – Oilfield workers are often working on platforms or elevated equipment many feet above the ground.
- Confined Spaces – Confined spaces, such as storage tanks, may contain chemicals that not only could ignite but are also toxic to workers.
- Faulty High-Pressure Lines and Equipment – Lines may become worn and leak, rupture, or have their connections fail exposing workers to compressed gases or struck by hazards.
- Hazardous Energy Exposure – Injuries can occur when equipment is not designed, installed, or maintained properly.
- Contact with Machines/Equipment – A worker can be struck by or get caught between pieces of unguarded machinery.
To reduce these instances, each drilling and servicing company has to have a safety plan that addresses workplace hazards and provides solutions. Companies must establish practices and procedures to ensure workers know of the hazards and how to take proper precautions to prevent injury.
Oilfield Health Hazards Can Also Cause Injuries to Workers
Oil and gas operations also expose workers to a host of health hazards from toxic materials that can affect exposed skin and the respiratory system. Sometimes injuries occur right away and other times injuries occur over time due to repeated exposure. The severity of injuries relates to toxicity concentration levels and periods of exposure.
Hydrocarbon gases and vapors can accumulate in storage tanks and are of particular risk to workers who manually gauge and sample at oil and gas extraction sites. The gases deplete oxygen and can act to asphyxiate unsuspecting workers. Hydrogen sulfide is a particularly toxic gas that can smell like rotten eggs at low concentrations. At high concentrations, hydrogen sulfide can cause unconsciousness in one or two breaths and death within minutes if exposure continues.
What Is Being Done to Improve Oilfield Worker Safety?
Federal law requires employers to provide workers with a workplace that is free of known health and safety hazards. The rights of oilfield workers include all of the following:
- Training on workplace health and safety
- Work on safe machinery
- Ability to refuse to work where exposed to a hazard
- Receive safety equipment
- Protection from toxic chemicals
- Report workplace hazards without retaliation
- Request an OSHA inspection
Improving worker safety in the oilfields is an ongoing process as oil and gas industry regulators continue to look for ways to reduce the risk of injury and death.
The Oil and Gas Extraction Program is a research project conducted by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH). The program’s mission is to develop workplace solutions that improve worker safety and health in the oil and gas extraction industry. Regarding oil and gas extraction operations, the priorities of the NIOSH Strategic Plan through 2026 include:
- Reduce worker fatalities caused by motor vehicle accidents
- Better understand the risk of developing respiratory diseases from exposure to silica
- Reduce worker injuries related to fatigue and substance misuse
Efforts Focused on the Permian Basin
The Permian Basin is the largest oil-producing basin in the United States. The Permian Basin Service, Transmission, Exploration, and Production Safety Network (STEPS) is a group of industry professionals working to promote health and safety in the oil and gas industry. The group advocates for accountability on all levels and stresses education and communication as essential to creating an industry-wide culture of safety.
Transportation incidents are a major hazard for workers in oilfields. The Permian Road Safety Coalition (PRSC) was formed in 2016 and works to improve road safety and infrastructure throughout West Texas and reduce transportation fatalities and accidents in the Permian Basin. Earlier this year, the PRSC reported a 20% reduction in fatal accidents in the region since 2022.
Where to Get Help after Being Injured While Working in an Oilfield
Even with a growing emphasis on worker safety within the oil and gas industry, significant health and safety hazards still exist for oilfield workers and serious injuries can result.
At Houston-based Farah Law, we assist injured workers and their families and help them collect compensation for being injured on the job while working in the oilfields. Our workplace accident attorneys have intimate knowledge of state and federal labor laws and have secured millions of dollars in compensation for injured clients. If you have been injured on the job, contact Farah Law to schedule a free consultation.
