The job of an oil and gas extraction worker is inherently dangerous on its own, even without potential safety violations by employers. Workers risk short- and long-term injury and wrongful death as they deal with everything from heavy, complex machinery to dangerous chemicals, oil truck accidents, falling equipment, stress and fatigue, or extreme weather conditions.
The occupational fatality rate for workers in the oil and gas extraction industry is four to seven times higher in comparison to other U.S. workers in general.
Between 2008 and 2017, an astounding 1,566 workers in the U.S. died trying to extract oil and gas, which is roughly equivalent to the number of U.S. troops who died in Afghanistan during the same period. Additionally, gas and oil companies were cited for 10,873 violations by Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), with 64% of those violations being classified as “serious,” meaning inspectors found hazards likely to result in “death or serious physical harm,” while 3% were “repeated” or “willful” violations.
In Texas, the oil and gas industry is concentrated in certain areas, including the West Texas Permian Basin. Between 2008 and 2012, at the height of the drilling and fracking boom, Texas led the nation with 216 oil field and industry deaths. In one case, it took safety inspectors five hours to reach a worksite in the Permian Basin where two workers had died, highlighting how isolated these incidents can be and the importance of legal assistance to investigate any oil field accident, especially when oil or insurance companies try to discard relevant evidence or “hush up” an accident with a quick settlement (cash payment, non disclosure agreement).
If you or a loved one is the victim of an oil field accident in the state of Texas, no matter how small it may seem, or even how serious and life-threatening it may be, the Law Office of Ryan C. Solis, PLLC, can make sure you have all the information you need to make the right decision and pursue the necessary actions to get the justice and compensation you deserve.
Contact us at (956) 686-9600 today for your free consultation, and let Ryan get you the money you need to recover. Ryan represents clients from all over Texas, including Mission, McAllen, Brownsville, Raymondville, the Rio Grande Valley, or anywhere else in South Texas.
