Offshore oil and gas work is one of the best-paid modern professions for blue-collar employees. Those working at offshore oil rigs or refining facilities receive generous compensation because they accept a degree of risk related to their employment.
Not only do offshore oil and gas employees have more job risks than others, but they also face a complicated compensation process if they sustain injuries while on the clock. It is, therefore, beneficial for oil and gas workers to identify and work to avoid common hazards.
Transportation incidents
When looking at reported fatalities at oil rigs and similar facilities, an interesting trend emerges. Specifically, many of the worst incidents actually occur before workers get to their job site or on their way back to dry land. Regardless of whether employees travel by airplane, helicopter or boat, they are at elevated risk of injury and death during their trips to and from their offshore work location.
Chemical exposure
Handling dangerous substances often goes hand-in-hand with oil and gas employment. Particularly for those who work in refining-based positions, exposure to hazardous substances can lead to illness or death. Workings need to know what chemicals they may get exposed to at work so that they can monitor themselves for signs of illness later.
Falls
Oil and gas workers can sustain severe injuries or die if they lose their balance and fall from a platform in an offshore location. Even if the trauma of the initial fall isn’t fatal, unconsciousness or injury that results from the fall could prevent a worker from getting back out of the water safely.
Dangerous moving equipment
There are a variety of different types of machinery and tools used at oil refining and extraction locations. Any of those pieces of equipment can become a workplace hazard if the equipment malfunctions, the company fails to properly maintain machinery or a worker makes a mistake while operating machinery. Accidental contact with equipment can lead to crushing injuries, traumatic amputations and a variety of other concerning injuries.
Fires and explosions
Perhaps the best-known hazard in an offshore oil-related career involves fire or an explosion occurring. Such incidents are relatively rare when compared with other job hazards. However, they tend to receive quite a bit of attention from the media. They are therefore among the best-known offshore workplace safety concerns.
Workers injured in an offshore environment have a more complicated process than usual ahead when seeking compensation as compared to those who do their jobs on solid ground. Pursuing a lawsuit is often necessary for a worker to obtain compensation for injuries sustained at an oil rig or an offshore refining facility.