Failure to protect oilfield workers could lead to lawsuits

Three workers who suffered severe burn injuries in another state last December recently filed a civil lawsuit against an oil and gas company. Workers in the oilfields of Texas and elsewhere face serious safety risks, and oilfield accidents can cause life-altering injuries. They rely on their employers and company owners to protect their health and safety.

According to court documents, the workers were employees of a company contracted to do maintenance on a gas compressor. They allege the company failed to share its knowledge about the malfunctioning of the gas-fueled compressor. Due to the malfunction, the compressor’s external pipe leaked gas while the workers adjusted the fuel ratios and timing.

The complaint states that the well site owner had the responsibility to make safety decisions in all aspects of the site. In that capacity, the plaintiffs claim that the defendant’s failure to ensure the site was safe caused them to suffer severe injuries in the catastrophic accident that resulted from the gas leak. Two of the plaintiffs were inside the structure that holds the compressor, and the third one was outside but in proximity. The explosion threw them to the ground, causing severe burns and other debilitating mental and physical injuries.

Workers in the oil and gas industry in Texas have the same right to safe work environments as others nationwide. Victims of oilfield accidents that were caused by a third party might have grounds for personal injury lawsuits. This is a complicated field of the law and typically best navigated by an attorney with experience in fighting for injured oilfield workers’ rights.