Need A Houston Oil Rig Accidents Lawyer?
An oil rig includes any structure built above an oil well on land or sea, which comprises an apparatus and special equipment for drilling and extracting. Due to the nature of the work environment, severe injuries and even fatalities occur frequently. To extrapolate from BLS data on nonfatal injuries, certain types of trauma are common in oil rig accidents:
- Around 2 percent of workers suffer burns from oil spills, other chemicals, thermal burn injuries, electrocution, and other sources.
- Almost 7 percent of employees sustain traumatic brain injury (TBI), concussion, or other head injuries.
- Spinal cord injuries, including herniated and bulging discs, affect almost 10 percent of workers who are hurt in oil rig accidents.
- More than one-third of oil and gas workers are injured by sprains, strains, and tears to muscles, tendons, and ligaments.
- Though they represent less than 1 percent of all injuries in oil rig accidents, amputation of digits, extremities, and limbs can lead to permanent disability.
How Oil Rig Accidents Happen
Some incidents are the result of failure to comply with the General Duty Clause established by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), which requires all employers to provide employees with a safe workplace. There are also specific regulations for the oil and gas industry, including rules applicable to oil rigs. The most frequent violations by employers involve standards on:
- Working on ladders, scaffolding, and platforms;
- Lockout/Tagout, a term that refers to the procedures in place for disabling machinery to prevent the release of hazardous energy – a significant concern in the oil and gas industry; and,
- Implementing guards on machinery.
When employers do not comply with OSHA standards and ensure a safe work environment, employees could be injured by slips, trips, and falls on hazardous surfaces. Explosions and fires are a risk in this industry as well, and even weather can be a factor in oil rig accidents. Plus, employment-related transportation collisions are a top cause of injuries in all industries, so oil and gas workers are affected as well.
Remedies for Injured Victims
Unlike other US states, Texas does not mandate that employers carry workers’ compensation insurance to protect employees who are injured or killed in accidents. However, most employers do carry a policy or other safeguards for workers, so your rights come through a workers’ comp claim. Benefits are available for medical costs, wage replacement, and permanent or temporary disability. Surviving family members can also obtain death benefits after a fatal incident. Our Houston oil rig accident attorneys will handle the claims process and work with the insurance company to get the full amount you are entitled to by law.
Workers’ compensation is your sole remedy in most cases, but the team at Husain Law and Associates Truck Accident Lawyers can explain whether you qualify to sue your employer in court. Under certain circumstances, you can file a civil lawsuit to recover damages that workers’ comp does not pay. Examples include pain and suffering, emotional distress, scarring and disfigurement, and many more.
