When it comes to oilfield related injuries and deaths, it is best to hire an attorney as soon as possible.

Oilfield injury litigation is extremely complex, and oil and gas extraction job sites are very hectic when active. Hiring an attorney as soon as an injury or death occurs will help ensure that important material evidence is secured.

Not only will your oilfield injury attorney file a temporary restraining order to preserve evidence, but your attorney will also hire industry and Occupational Safety and Health (OSHA) experts to investigate the job site for any potential safety violations.

Safety violations often include:

• Poorly maintained equipment
• Failure to provide adequate fall protection
• Failure to meet hazard communication standards
• Failure to provide adequate respiratory protection
• General transportation safety violations
• Failure to meet general machinery and machine guard requirements
• Failure to control hazardous energy

Not only are experts essential in finding and retaining evidence at the scene, but they can also provide expert analysis of their findings and expert testimony during trial and arbitration.

Thomas J. Henry has spent years finding and building professional relationships with the best expert witnesses from all across the country. Expert witnesses that could benefit your oilfield lawsuit include:

• Welding experts
• Process safety management experts
• Safety equipment experts
• Hazardous chemical experts
• State and Federal OSHA consultants and inspectors
• Accident reconstruction experts
• Engineering experts
• Confined space permit experts
• Environment health experts

It is no secret that oil and gas extraction is a high-risk industry. According to a recent analysis by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), oil and gas extraction workers are killed on the job at a rate seven times greater than the average U.S. workers.

While we all hope that our loved ones will return from work safe from harm, the unfortunate truth is those workplace accidents, injuries, and deaths do happen – and while nothing can ever remedy the pain of losing a loved one, holding those responsible for the death of a loved one can help provide stability for your family in what is most certainly a turbulent time.

Workers on an oilfield are exposed to a wide variety of hazards. Some common examples of oilfield accidents include:

• Oil well blowouts
• Explosions and fires
• Transportation accidents involving the transport of workers to and from the field
• Slips and falls due to slick surfaces
• Struck/caught in machinery or equipment
• Exposure to harmful chemicals or other materials
• Defective, faulty, or poorly maintained drilling equipment and machinery

These accidents can cause life-altering and debilitating injuries, including burns, brain injuries, broken bones, spinal cord and back injuries, eye injuries. Unfortunately, the oil and gas extraction industry is no stranger to fatal injuries as well — 120 workers were killed on the job in 2015. The mining, quarrying, and oil and gas extraction industry as a whole had the third-largest fatal work injury rate in the United States in 2015.

Every drilling site is manned by several crews, each composed of several different types of workers depending on the site and the type of rig.

Roustabouts, floorhands, or roughnecks perform much of the basic, labor-intensive maintenance and drilling tasks. These workers maintain and keep the drilling area clean, remove hazards, and move equipment around the rig for other workers to use. A lot of the grunt work required at an oil rig is taken care of by roustabouts so the other workers can extract oil efficiently.

A motorhand or motorman is responsible for maintaining the engines that power the drilling equipment and other machinery at the drilling site. Oil rigs may have diesel engines, electric engines, or both. These workers also supervise roustabouts, test equipment for safety, operate with the oil rig boilers, assist with the drill pipe, and help other crew members as needed.

Derrickhands, derrickmen, or derrick operators guide the uppermost section of the drill as it is lowered and raised from the wellbore, known as tripping. These employees are often stationed on a platform high above the ground above the rig in order to head the tripping process. Derrickhands also assist with the mixing and operation of the mud system, helping drillers, and various upkeep on drilling equipment.

A rig operator or driller supervises crew members of an oil rig, specializing in resolving or troubleshooting problems if they arise. They also monitor the work area for safety issues and maintains safety policies. Drillers are tasked with training crew members on safety procedures, conducting drills for blowout prevention, performing equipment maintenance checks, and other personnel-focused management. These oil workers are often assisting with the operation of drill controls and other equipment.

A toolpusher, or oil rig manager, is the supervisor of the oil rig and responsible for all other personnel on-site. These managers oversee drillers, derrickhands, motorhands, and roustabouts and provide leadership, important training, and problem-solving in regards to employees and oil rig operation. Toolpushers manage the installation of rigs, make sure government and environmental laws are followed, and coordinate the workers in several crews.

Other oilfield occupations include petroleum engineers, pipeline walkers, pipefitters, and pipelayers.

Due to the nature of the job, every worker involved on the oilfield at some point or another could be involved in an incident, depending upon what they’re doing and why they’re doing it. Supervisors and even owners of facilities can be seriously injured or lose their life, depending upon who’s on that property, who’s conducting work, and whether it’s being done safely. When drilling operations are being done unsafely and outside the prescribed safety regulations, workers are put at grave risk of injury or worse.