A recent study reported on the website of The Huffington Post revealed that employees working in offshore gas and oil operations were seven times more likely to die than the average worker in the United States. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) examined fatalities from 2003 through 2010 and found that in that time a total of 128 people died in offshore operations, for an average of 16 per year.
In total, 65 of the 128 fatalities involved the transportation industry, 49 of which were helicopter accidents. Most of these incidents were caused by mechanical failure and poor weather, although safety measures instituted in 2009 put an end to fatal helicopter accidents.
The average U.S. worker fatality rate is 3.8 deaths for every 100,000 employees. However, offshore workers have a fatality rate of 27.1 deaths per 100,000 workers. Occupations that were classified as offshore work include jobs with oil and gas operators, drilling contractors, and well-servicing companies. All deceased workers were male and had an average age of 41.4 years. The study also found that while the amount of active offshore drilling rigs decreased by 63% from 2003 to 2010, the amount of annual fatalities remained stable.
The CDC recommended that employers follow the strictest transportation safety guidelines that are applicable to their work.
More information can be found at the online version of the CDC study.
Jobs involving dangerous machinery and transportation require skill and dependable, properly designed and well maintained equipment. Unfortunately, negligence of contractors and defective equipment may lead to injury or death-causing accidents. If you have been injured while on the job and believe that some negligence may be responsible for your losses, get in touch with the industrial injury lawyers in New Jersey at Blume Forte. Call 973-845-4421 for a no-cost consultation to help you learn about your legal options and rights.
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