Common Accidents That Can Result In An Oil Rig Injury

With so many risks in the petroleum industry, an oil rig injury is a common occurrence in the field. Some platforms are hundreds of miles away from shore, so any worker harmed in an accident may be hours away from medical care. Employers, therefore, must take safety seriously on platforms or their negligence can lead to serious accidents. Unfortunately, there are usually several companies involved with every platform’s operation, so it can be challenging for a victim to file a successful claim in cases of oil rig explosion injuries.

What are some common accidents that can result in an oil rig injury?

Petroleum platforms have delicate technology that must be closely monitored and well maintained. Drilling technology, wellheads, monitoring equipment, transport equipment and safety technology all have to be kept in excellent condition, or it can malfunction and cause a major disaster. Employees monitoring equipment must also be properly trained so that possible problems can be detected before they occur.

If storage facilities or pipelines are not maintained, gas leaks may occur, which may poison workers or cause a fire. Outdated or poorly maintained wellheads may fail when placed under a large amount of pressure and explode. Faulty monitoring equipment or poorly trained workers may not notice a pressure buildup before it is too late. That is what occurred on the Deepwater Horizon platform that exploded in 2010. A blowout rocked the platform after a buildup of methane gas quickly shot to the surface, igniting and exploding upon reaching the wellhead. Employees that were monitoring the pressure misinterpreted the equipment’s readouts, failing to notice a spike in pressure before it was too late. In such unfortunate incidents, seeking guidance from a skilled work injury lawyer is essential.

Workers that suffer an oil rig explosion injury may be able to place a claim under the Jones Act, which provides additional rights to employees who spend a majority of the time working at sea. Jones Act rights give workers the ability to directly file claims against their employer if negligence is responsible for the injury. That, along with the number of companies involved with a single platform can make filing a claim extremely complicated. The experts At Terry Bryant’s firm can simplify the process and help a person harmed while on the job. With hundreds of cases’ worth of experience in the field, Terry Bryant and his attorneys can help the victim get the compensation needed to bounce back from an accident.