4 Common Oilfield Injuries

Oilfield workers are at risk of encountering serious workplace injuries. Things have gotten worse since oil companies began rushing to meet the high oil demand and disregarding the safety of their employees. As a result of this, incidents of injuries and deaths have become a lot more commonplace in the oil industry. With a bit of effort in terms of equipment maintenance and proper training, the following common oilfield injuries can be prevented:

Workers in the oil drilling industry are at great risk of suffering from burns because they work around heat and hot equipment throughout the day. They could get burnt or scalded from electrical shocks, steam, fire, and hot equipment and pipelines. The severity of these burns could range from minor blistering to third-degree burns. It's important to treat burn injuries seriously, no matter how mild they may seem because they could become infected if left untreated.

Oilfield workers are also susceptible to accidental amputation of their limbs or fingers. These may occur when a protective glove accidentally gets caught in one of the machines they're working with. Unless the worker is extremely lucky and manages to remove the glove in time, their hand could get dragged into the equipment. This will then mangle the bones and muscles. An oilfield worker may also suffer from an injury that requires amputation after falling from an unstable or collapsing deck. In some cases, falling or malfunctioning equipment could also result in such injuries. Injuries such as these will not only cause serious pain but also prevent the worker from continuing their work. A qualified oil field injury lawyer would have to get involved in these types of incidents.

Even if oilfield workers wear hard hats all the time, their protective equipment may not always be enough in cases where there's a serious physical impact. This may involve accidents such as explosions or shock waves. As a result of these accidents, they could suffer from concussions, facial lacerations, skull fractures, traumatic brain injuries, etc. In some cases, falls and falling objects can also result in these types of injuries. Even a mild injury to the brain can have a serious impact on the person's ability to remember things or perform everyday activities.

As mentioned earlier, oilfield workers are susceptible to injuries from falls or falling objects. In some cases, these accidents could cause back, neck, or shoulder injuries. The less severe cases may result in pinched nerves or herniated discs. The more severe cases, on the other hand, would result in spinal cord injuries, broken vertebrae, and even paralysis. These types of injuries will usually involve a lawsuit, especially if the employer isn't cooperative during the claims filing period.

In addition to these four common oilfield injuries, oilfield workers may also be susceptible to bone injuries such as broken bones, hairline fractures, and fractured bones. Soft tissue injuries such as muscle tearing, sprains, etc., are also commonplace. Employers should work hard to ensure that proper safety procedures are in place and carried out to prevent these injuries at all cost.