Main Causes of Oilfield Accidents: El Paso Injury Accident Attorneys

If you or a loved one work on an oilfield in El Paso, you know just how dangerous the job can be. In fact, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that approximately 120 deaths occur in the industry each year. But do you know the main causes of oilfield accidents? At Carabin Shaw, our El Paso oilfield accident lawyers have compiled a list of some of the leading causes of these accidents to keep you informed and safe.

Read on to learn what our expert El Paso accident lawyers have identified as the major causes of El Paso oilfield accidents.

Explosions: Over time, vapors from drilling can slowly be released and can seep into containers on the oilfield. If this happens, the pressure buildup within the containers can eventually lead to an explosion. Explosions can occur if sparks from welding equipment combust with the oil vapors in the air, and when explosions happen on oilfields, the results are often disastrous.

Fires: Oil is a highly flammable substance. Consequently, even a single spark of static electricity becomes a hazard on an oilfield. Fires in oilfields can burn for days, which makes fire one of the biggest dangers to oilfield workers.

Inadequately trained workers: Believe it or not, some oilfield positions do not require their new hires to have any previous experience. And many companies do not offer adequate training to their workers. Inadequately trained workers then become hazardous to everyone around them, as their lack of preparedness makes them more susceptible to mistakes.

Equipment failure: Poorly-maintained, outdated, or damaged equipment is always a hazard in the workplace, but this is especially true on an oilfield. When oilfield equipment malfunctions for one reason or another, employees can become trapped under machinery, lose limbs, or incur permanent hearing or vision loss. For these reasons, safety protocols are put in place by oil companies—but when workers don’t follow these protocols, or when equipment fails, catastrophic accidents can occur.

Employee fatigue: Oilfield employees are frequently required to work a weeklong stretch of 12-hour shifts (or even longer), sometimes alternating between day and night shifts. This demanding and unpredictable schedule can lead to employees working while fatigued, which considerably increases the likelihood of an accident. Making matters worse, employees are often working in extreme weather, including heat; as a result, heat exhaustion can compound the problem of fatigue and further increase the risk of an accident occurring.

If you or a loved one have been involved in an oilfield accident, you have the right to seek financial compensation for your injuries and financial losses. At Carabin Shaw, our attorneys believe that negligent employers should be held accountable for the harm incurred by their workers, and we want to help you get justice. Our El Paso injury accident attorneys have handled numerous oilfield accident cases and have helped victims win substantial settlements.

Oil companies understand the main causes of oilfield accidents and have large legal teams and exhaustive financial resources, so you need a lawyer with the resources and skill set to fight back—as well as someone with insider knowledge of the local oil industry and its regulations. Our firm employs only the best West Texas oilfield injury attorneys in the state, and we’ve helped victims recover thousands of dollars after their accidents.

Call us toll-free at 1-800-862-1260 or dial our El Paso office today at 915-779-2301 to schedule your free consultation with an attorney and find out what our lawyers can do for you. Let us help you get your life back on track.