Oil Rig Transportation Accidents
According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, transportation accidents were the leading cause of fatalities among oil and gas industry employees. Offshore oil and gas workers depend on helicopters and boats to transport them safely to and from the rigs and platforms of the Gulf of Mexico. Unfortunately, mechanical failure and poor weather conditions are the most common factors in rig transportation accidents.
Heavy Machinery Accidents
Oil rig and platform workers deal with heavy machinery every day. Workers run the risk of being struck by falling objects, crushed between equipment that is not properly secured or operated incorrectly by crew members because they have not been properly trained in the safe use of equipment.
Slip and Fall Accidents
Slip and fall accidents on an oil rig can happen at any time particularly when water or oil are left on the rig floor, ladders or scaffolds are not properly secured, or when work areas are not properly inspected for potential hazards. When employers or fellow workers do not follow safety procedures accidents often happen. Maintaining safe work environments include regular cleaning and inspection of floors, clearing of walkways to reduce hazards, use of non-skid surfaces when appropriate, and use of guardrails, handrails, or grating to prevent falls.
Louisiana's Oil Industry
As one of only six states in America that permit coastal drilling, Louisiana boasts a thriving $70-billion-dollar oil and gas industry. The state is second in the country only to Texas in terms of the number of rigs it hosts in the oil field. Thousands of workers make up Louisiana’s oil and gas task force, mostly under the command of several of the most prominent oil rig companies. The following companies are the key players in the state’s oil industry:
- Chesapeake Energy Corporation
- Cubic Energy
- Diamond Offshore Drilling
- Magnum Hunter Resources
- McDermott
- Petrohawk
- Transocean
