Oil rigs are a powder keg of potential problems. In many cases, safety equipment, proper training, and excellent safety supervision help prevent accidents and injuries that stall operations and put workers in the hospital. However, serious accidents can still happen. Being out of work while you recover from a serious workplace injury can be hard, especially if you suffer high medical expenses and lost wages. The Dallas oil rig injury lawyers at The Queenan Law Firm may be able to take your case and fight for compensation. Injuries happen in a wide range of possible ways, but many accidents do occur in some of the same, common ways. Our injury attorneys explain.
Common Accident Causes for Oil Rig Injury Victims
Oil rigs are often dangerous. Workers in the industry often face minor injuries like strains or cuts, but more serious accidents are also common. Our Dallas workplace injury lawyers explain some of the most common causes of serious accidents in offshore drilling:
Slip and Fall Accidents
Many accidents that occur on oil rigs are the same sorts of accidents that occur on land. Slip and fall accidents can happen anywhere, but the wet or oily decks of offshore drilling platforms are often serious slipping hazards. Proper safety lighting can help you see slipping hazards before you fall, and hard hats can help prevent you from hitting your head and suffering traumatic brain injury or a concussion. However, accidents can happen in off-duty hours when safety equipment may be more minimal. Especially if you are near the edge of the rig or you fall and hit your head on a bulkhead or gunwale, you could suffer surprisingly serious injuries. Catching yourself during a fall can break bones or cause back injuries, too.
Lack of Safety Equipment
Wearing safety equipment in a job like this is a must. Working with crude oil and chemicals used to treat or clean up the oil can be hazardous to your health. If you get these chemicals on your exposed skin, in your mouth, or in your eyes, you could face substantial irritation and discomfort and negative health effects. If you are not supplied with the proper equipment, like hard hats, goggles, gloves, and more, you could be seriously injured in the case of an accident. Even walking around an offshore rig can prove dangerous if you slip or bump your head on a low-hanging catwalk or doorway without your hard hat on. Other equipment, like steel-toed boots and clothes with sleeves and long pants can be important to keep yourself safe.
Improper Training and Supervision
Human error is the cause of most accidents. While we may contribute to our own accidents by failing to ask for assistance or attempting tasks we are unfamiliar with, it is still your supervisor’s and employer’s duty to ensure that you have the proper training, safety equipment, and help to accomplish your job tasks. Many accidents stemming from poor training or oversight injure other workers, especially crane accidents and other accidents involving heavy machinery.
Lifting and Carrying Injuries
Moving and carrying equipment, especially heavy machinery, can take a toll on the body. After years of manual labor, you could easily build up minor injuries to your back and spine. Carrying something too heavy or falling while moving something could put you over the edge and cause serious back pain and discomfort that might leave you unable to work for days or weeks. Back injuries are one of the single most common workplace injuries in any profession. Always ask for help when carrying heavy items and ensure that your path is free of obstacles.
Suing for Oil Rig Injuries in Texas
Texas law typically prohibits people from suing their employers for workplace injuries. However, many offshore oil workers are covered by maritime law, such as the Jones Act, which allows them to sue their employers for injuries. If your employer or the rig’s owner was negligent and failed to take the proper safety precautions expected of them, you may be able to take them to court and sue for damages.
Proving your case requires proving that the employer breached a duty they owed you, which lead to your injuries. Failing to provide proper training in a language you understand, failing to supply safety equipment, or failing to repair dangerous conditions on the ship or rig could be serious breaches of duty that could lead to an employer’s liability. Accidents that occur on barge boats or ships transporting staff and materials to and from oil rigs could also be the ship owner’s fault. Talk to a Midland oil rig accident lawyer about filing your oil worker injury case today.
Our Dallas, TX Oil Worker Injury Lawyers Offer Free Consultations
If you were injured on the job while working in the oil industry, talk to an attorney about your case today. A Dallas personal injury lawyer at The Queenan Law Firm represents injury victims and their families and fight to get them the compensation they need for medical bills, lost wages, and pain and suffering. To schedule a free consultation on your case, call us today at (817) 476-1797.