Working on an oilfield is an exciting and rewarding career. However, as you probably know, there are also common hazards on oilfields that need to be heeded on all fronts.
Even if you have avoided oilfield accidents and injuries in the past, you never know what the future may hold. You must continue to take all possible steps to protect yourself with the guidance of your oilfield injury lawyer when working on an oilfield.
This starts with understanding the most common hazards when working on an oilfield. Here are five oilfield hazards to watch out for at all times:
Physical requirements and hazardous environment on an oilfield
Working on an oilfield is not what would be classified as “easy” work. It’s hard enough getting to and from the platform. If we add to this the physical demands to do the job, there is always the risk of injury.
For example, slippery surfaces increase the risk of slips and falls. The same goes for heavy equipment, objects, and debris that crowd into your workspace. And that’s without taking into account inclement weather.
On top of all this, you place great trust in your oilfield employer. It assumes that you are conducting federal safety inspections on the oilfield to reduce the risk of accidents on the rig.
Exposure to chemicals on an oilfield
Oilfield workers don’t always think about this, but exposure to chemicals can cause short-term and long-term health problems.
Working in the oil and gas industry means coming into close contact with many potentially dangerous chemicals and substances, including but not limited to the fluids used in heavy machinery and the oil itself.
Exposure to chemicals can damage the body in various ways, from respiratory and lung problems to burns and organ damage.
Fires and blowouts on an oilfield
If you are familiar with the Deepwater Horizon rig explosion, you are well aware of the accident risks associated with fire and blowout hazards on an oilfield.
These common oilfield accidents are a concern because of all the flammable materials onboard the rig.
For example, if a leak occurs near flammable material, a fire or explosion may result. This is in addition to environmental conditions that can cause problems. Important questions to ask from the personal injury lawyers.
Both fires and blowouts have the potential to cause serious injury and death.
Machinery accidents on oilfields
The Texas offshore oil and gas industry requires the use of heavy machinery to extract oil, and that’s just the beginning of how this dangerous equipment is used.
Even if you are trained in the best way to operate this machinery, you never know when something could go wrong. The machine could malfunction, you could make a mistake, or a co-worker could make a mistake.
Transportation accidents on oilfields
Helicopter transportation of workers to and from an oilfield represents another common hazard resulting in accidents.
Transportation to and from oilfields can be as dangerous as the work itself.
Ships and helicopters are relied upon to transport workers from land to the oilfield. If something goes wrong, like a capsized boat or rough waters due to an impending storm, the result can be serious injury or even death.
