Tragically, yet another oil rig worker died on the job yesterday in Wyoming. According to preliminary reports, it appears that the man fell while working on the oil rig but an in-depth investigation will be conducted to determine the true cause of the death.
The Billings Gazette reports that on Thursday morning authorities responded to reports of a traumatic injury at a workover rig near Midwest, Wyoming. Natrona County sheriff’s Sgt. Aaron Shatto says that a worker had died from a fall when crews arrived. The man’s identity has not yet been released pending notification of his next-of-kin.
Justin Westmoreland, health and safety director for FDL Operating, the company with which the man was a contracted worker, has yet to comment on the circumstances of the accident or of the man’s death. FDL has already launched an investigation into the incident independent of the investigations underway with the sheriff’s office and the Wyoming Occupational Safety and Health Administration, and Westmoreland says the company will cooperate with those investigations in every way possible.
This is the second time a worker from Wyoming has died in an oil rig accident in the last month. On June 20, the Casper Star-Tribune announced that Johnny Stassinos of Rock Springs died on June 18 after suffering severe burn injuries in an explosion and fire at a North Dakota oil well where he was working. Two other men who were working on the rig also suffered severe injuries and were listed in critical condition at the time.
This rig in North Dakota was operated by XTO Energy, a Houston-based subsidiary of ExxonMobil. According to a company spokeswoman, the men had been contracted to perform maintenance on the oil wells and were on a workover rig at the time of the explosion.
After an initial investigation, state and federal investigators reported that there was a breech in a gas pipe that ignited. Eric Brooks, director of the Bismark office of the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) stated, “There was a split in a pipe, and there was an explosion.” At the time of this announcement, the cause of the breech and the source of ignition were still under investigation.
Brooks also stated that of all workers on notoriously dangerous oil wells, workover rig crews have among the most dangerous jobs, and this means that “There has to be eternal vigilance on ignition sources.”
The nature of industry and employment in Wyoming means that our state has a high number of workplace injuries and fatalities. In September 2015, Governor Matt Mead responded to reports that the rates of workplace fatalities had increased in recent years with a promise to continue efforts to ensure worker safety. According to County 10 News, he stated, “I know the pain a family goes through when a loved one does not return home from work. I am concerned about the increased fatalities in Wyoming. Wyoming has taken steps to improve workplace safety – hiring extra OSHA inspectors, gathering data to determine the causes of workplace incidents and offering businesses incentives for taking preventative action. More work needs to be done so those in the workplace return home safe to their families.”
Although regulators and lawmakers have increased their efforts to make sure workers in Wyoming are safe, much of the onus of worker safety still falls on employers. When employers and bosses fail to take proper measures to provide a safe and hazard-free work environment and employees suffer injury or even death on the job, victims may pursue compensation for their suffering and damages through a workers’ compensation lawsuit. For more information on compensation after a workplace injury, please contact the office of Wyoming attorney Frederick J. Harrison to schedule a free legal consultation.
