Oil and natural gas production is an important part of Oklahoma’s economy, but oil rig work comes with significant risks. Workers routinely encounter heavy machinery, pressurized equipment, combustible materials, moving vehicles, and elevated work areas. A single mistake or equipment failure can result in catastrophic injuries.
After an oilfield accident, injured workers may have multiple options for seeking compensation. Workers’ compensation may provide benefits for a work-related injury, while some accidents may also give rise to separate claims against negligent third parties.
Why Is Oil Rig Work So Dangerous?
An oil rig is not an ordinary workplace. Workers may perform physically demanding tasks around machinery capable of generating enormous forces. Equipment runs for long periods, workers may operate at heights, and vehicles constantly move equipment and materials around a job site.
There may also be several different companies working at the same location. Drilling contractors, equipment suppliers, trucking companies, maintenance crews, and specialized service contractors can all have employees performing different jobs at the site. This creates opportunities for mistakes.
When dangerous equipment, difficult working conditions, and several contractors come together, a seemingly small error can have devastating consequences.
Falls Can Cause Catastrophic Injuries
Working at heights is one of the most obvious hazards associated with drilling operations. Workers may climb stairs, ladders, platforms, and other elevated structures. Rain, ice, mud, oil, or other substances can make walking surfaces slippery.
A fall can result from:
- Missing or damaged guardrails
- Defective ladders
- Slippery platforms
- Poor lighting
- Inadequate fall protection
- Improperly maintained stairs
- Unsafe work procedures
The consequences can be severe. A worker who falls from an elevated platform could suffer broken bones, spinal cord injuries, traumatic brain damage, paralysis, or even death.
Heavy Machinery Creates Crushing and Amputation Hazards
Drilling requires powerful machinery. Workers may operate or work near hoisting equipment, pipes, pumps, rotating machinery, and other industrial equipment. These machines can generate enough force to cause devastating injuries.
Heavy objects can also fall or shift unexpectedly. These accidents may cause:
- Crush injuries
- Amputations
- Broken bones
- Nerve damage
- Internal bleeding
- Permanent disability
- Fatal injuries
Proper training, machine guarding, communication, and maintenance can reduce these risks. When a company cuts corners on safety, however, workers may pay the price.
Fires and Explosions Are Another Serious Risk
Oil and gas operations involve combustible substances. When fuel, natural gas, vapors, heat, and ignition sources exist in the same environment, fire prevention is critical.
An explosion can happen suddenly and affect many workers at once. Potential causes can include defective equipment, leaking gas, improper procedures, electrical problems, welding operations, or failure to control ignition sources.
Burn injuries can be particularly devastating. Treatment may require surgeries, skin grafts, hospitalization, and rehabilitation. Serious burns can also leave permanent scars and psychological trauma.
What Injuries Can Oil Rig Workers Suffer?
Oilfield accidents can cause almost every type of traumatic injury. Common serious injuries may include:
- Traumatic brain injuries
- Spinal cord injuries
- Burns
- Broken bones
- Amputations
- Crush injuries
- Back and neck injuries
- Internal organ damage
- Eye injuries
- Hearing loss
- Nerve damage
- Permanent scarring
Some workers recover and eventually return to their jobs. Others may never perform physically demanding work again.
Does Oklahoma Workers’ Compensation Cover Oil Rig Injuries?
Workers’ compensation can provide an important source of benefits after a qualifying workplace injury.
Workers generally do not need to prove that their employer negligently caused the accident in the same way they would in a personal injury lawsuit. That concept comes with a tradeoff. Oklahoma’s workers’ compensation is generally the exclusive remedy against a covered employer for a workplace injury.
That means an injured worker generally cannot sue their employer for ordinary negligence.
Can an Oil Rig Worker File a Third-Party Lawsuit?
Potentially. Oilfields often involve numerous businesses, which makes identifying every company involved in the accident important.
A third-party claim could potentially involve a:
- Trucking company
- Equipment manufacturer
- Outside maintenance company
- Independent contractor
- Property owner
- Equipment supplier
An attorney should examine the relationships between all companies at the site before determining who can legally be sued.
Contact McIntyre Law To Schedule a Free Consultation With an Oklahoma City Personal Injury Attorney
Oil rig workers accept demanding jobs, but taking on a dangerous occupation does not mean giving up the right to a safe workplace or legal protection after an injury. Falls, explosions, heavy machinery, vehicle collisions, defective equipment, and other oilfield hazards can cause injuries that permanently change a worker’s life.
If you were injured while working on an oil rig in Oklahoma, don’t be afraid to seek help. Contact McIntyre Law today for a free consultation with an Oklahoma City personal injury lawyer. We will investigate your accident, explain your legal rights, and pursue appropriate compensation from all liable parties.
Reach out to McIntyre Law for help today. We proudly serve injured clients throughout Oklahoma City, Oklahoma County, and surrounding communities across Oklahoma.
McIntyre Law P.C. – Oklahoma City
8601 S Western Ave,
Oklahoma City, OK 73139
Monday–Friday: 8:30 AM–5:30 PM
(405) 917-5200