1 Dead in West Texas Oilfield Accident
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has launched an investigation into the death of a West Texas oilfield worker who was killed in a drilling rig accident Sunday night.
Details of the Fatal Drilling Rig Accident
According to the Odessa American, accident occurred around 9:30 pm Sunday on an Apache Corporation lease roughly 25 miles north of Rankin.
Details on the accident were scarce, but reports indicate that the man was on the rig floor when an equipment-related accident occurred. The man was the only person injured in the accident – he was pronounced dead at the scene.
The worker’s identity has not been made public as investigators are still attempting to notify his family; however, they did state that he was from Boerne near San Antonio.
OSHA is still investigating the incident.
Workplace Injury Statistics
- According to OSHA, 4,383 workers were killed on the job in 2012 – roughly 3.2 per 100,000 full-time equivalent workers.
- This equates to roughly 84 deaths a week or nearly 12 deaths a day.
- 25 deaths were recorded in the oil and gas extraction industry for the year, nearly doubling the number reported in 2011.
