2 Dead in West Texas Drilling Accident

CNBC reports that two workers are dead following an accident at a drilling rig in West Texas.

Details of the Fatal Drilling Accident

According to Yoakum County Sheriff Donald Corzine, the two men were working at a Norton Energy Drilling site outside Denver City on Wednesday when they were involved in in a mechanical accident. Details were sparse, but Corzine did state that weather may have been a factor in the incident.

One of the workers was pronounced dead at the scene while the other died shortly after receiving medical attention.

The accident remains under investigation, and the identities of the victims have not been released.

On the Job Accident Statistics

The following information was provided by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA):

• 4,821 workers were killed in on the job accidents in 2014. This averages to 95 deaths a week or more than 13 deaths every day.
• 4,386 of those fatalities occurred in private industry and 899 were associated with construction accidents.
• Among the leading causes of on the job deaths are:
  • Falls
  • Electrocutions
  • Struck by object
  • Caught-in/between