Here in Texas, the stability, opportunities, and income that work in the oil industry offers has been attracting young and predominantly male workers for decades. For many who find employment at a well-service or refining company, a life of financial stability and on-the-job excitement is something to look forward to.
Unfortunately, a new study has made it clear that work in such fields entails a number of hidden dangers-risks that have the potential to cut an employee’s life tragically short. That study, drawn from bureau of labor statistics and published by Accident Analysis and Prevention, reveals that oil and gas industry workers are at a drastically elevated risk of being involved in a fatal motor vehicle accident.
Given that Texas still serves as home to the highest number of oil and gas rigs in the nation, local residents may be especially moved to learn that workers in the industry are 8.5 times more likely to die in an automobile accident while on the job than those working in other fields. Workers at smaller companies, especially well-service employees, were found to be most at risk.
In an industry that is predominantly comprised of young male workers logging long hours in pickup trucks on rural roads, motor vehicle accidents accounted for 28 percent of all work-related deaths.
The Texas Department of Transportation, in acknowledgment of the disproportionate danger that oil workers face, has reportedly begun preparing a campaign to address driver safety.
A fatal motor vehicle accident not only immediately turns a family’s world upside-down, but can prove to be an incredible strain on the finances of a victim’s survivors. Medical bills, funeral costs, and the loss of a spouse and/or parent’s income are only some of the ways a deadly truck or car accident can create a permanent financial bind. In order to secure the damages rightfully owed to a victim’s family, contacting an attorney specializing in wrongful death is essential.
Source: Fuel Fix, “Oilfield workers at higher risk of fatal motor vehicle accidents,” Jeannie Kever, Jan. 18, 2013
