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Unsafe welding caused a 2012 deadly oil platform explosion in the Gulf of Mexico, according to a report released by Texas-based Black Elk Energy Offshore Operations, LLC. The November 16 Gulf explosion and fire, occurring on an oil production platform operated by Black Elk Energy off of the Grand Isle, Louisiana coast, resulted in the deaths […]
Three contract workers were injured in an East Texas oilfield explosion Saturday, August 10, 2013. The blast, occurring at an oilfield site in Gregg County, Texas is believed to have been caused by welding on a pipe thought to be clear of hydrocarbons. The injured workers, contracted by Exxon-Mobil, included 54-year-old Kenneth Shahan of Center, […]
Five workers were injured in an oil rig accident near Alexander, North Dakota on July 16, 2013. According to news reports, investigators believe the oil rig accident occurred when employees removed a cover from an oil fuel tank and an electric drill ignited the fumes, causing an explosion. One worker, identified as 54-year-old Mike Fowler, […]
Local residents in Frio County, Texas have expressed concerns about the possibility of Eagle Ford disposal wells contaminating their groundwater, so much so that Frio County Commissioners recently held a town hall meeting in Dilley to discuss the injection wells. The main issue, residents said, was awareness. With only a single groundwater source for Dilley, […]
A July 7, 2013, explosion at a natural gas well fracking site in West Virginia injured several workers, including five contract workers who suffered serious burn injuries and remain hospitalized. Only months before, an explosion at another WV natural gas facility injured three workers, two of whom died from their injuries. The July 7 explosion […]
The Texas Department of Public Safety’s removal of nearly two thousand unsafe commercial vehicles from our roadways last month during a three-day annual inspection highlights an alarming fact – there are a LOT of unsafe 18 wheelers, buses and other commercial motor vehicles (CMV) traveling Texas roads. Before Roadcheck 2013 got underway, most commercial vehicle […]
Two more oilfield workers were killed on the job in Texas last week, both in Howard County and residents of Big Spring. On Thursday, June 20, Juan Manual Estrada-Duarte, 59, died after a large heat treat rolled onto him. Only 24 hours earlier a drilling rig collapse had taken the life of 40-year-old Felipe Saiz. […]
Concerns about abandoned oil wells contaminating groundwater in Texas are not new, but a boom in oil and gas drilling and increased use of the hydraulic fracturing process have raised the odds of contamination occurring. In addition to groundwater contamination, abandoned wells can provide a pathway for dangerous contaminates to reach the surface, polluting the […]
Insurance coverage is supposed to provide the policyholder with a feeling of safety and security. People buy insurance for protection against risk that could otherwise be financially devastating. And we expect that the insurance company will hold up its end of the bargain when catastrophe happens and a claim must be made. When travesty strikes and […]
If you are wondering how many people suffer fatal car crashes caused by cell phone use each year, or if an increase in driver cell phone use has caused a jump in fatal auto accidents, you won’t find an accurate answer. No one knows. Various factors, including drivers not admitting cell phone use, make collecting […]