Oil and Gas Accidents Articles

Julio Barrera was a derrickman working in Webb County when he was killed on September 2, 2009. According to his wife, Claudia Hernandez, she recalls him telling her over the phone that the tower he was working on was not stable, but he would lose his job if he did not climb the tower. The…

A oil rig worker from New Mexico was fatally injured after a rig malfunctioned at a Patriot Drilling site in Southwest Texas. Brian Callicoat was only 22 years old and was expecting his second child with his wife when he was fatally injured in the oilfield workplace accident. A pipe had apparently become lodged within…

Two days and many, many more years ago, the town of London, Texas witnessed what might be considered the worst school gas explosion in the history of the oil and gas industry. The local school, powered by 72 natural gas heaters, exploded, killing 295 children and adults. The cause of the explosion was twofold: A…

According to a recent article from the Texas Tribune, in South Texas, where the land is sometimes too dry to grow crops, the local aquifer is being strained in the search for oil. The reason is hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, a drilling process that requires massive amounts of water. “We just can’t sustain it,” Hugh…

A broken drill at a natural gas drilling site resulted in a leak of thousands of gallons of fracking fluid and prompted the evacuation of nearby homes as concern grew over the possibility of a natural gas explosion. At one point, fracking fluid was flowing from the drill site at a volume of 800 gallons…

Between 2000 and 2009, excavation damage was the leading cause of all significant pipeline incidents. These damages resulted in 38 fatalities, 158 injuries, and $196 million in property damage. While excavation damage is no longer the leading cause of significant pipeline incidents, it is still a major cause, and is still the second leading cause…

Between 1983 and 2010, 44 people have been killed and 25 others have been injured on oil and gas sites throughout the country. These sites aren’t just dangerous places for workers; they are attractive nuisances for teens and young adults who mistakenly believe the oilfields or refinery areas are safe places to hang out or…

According to a story from KMOT-TV in Minot, North Dakota, over 80 percent of oil field injuries happen to employees who are in their first year on the job. This information comes from the North Dakota Workforce Insurance and Safety department. The signs show that new workers might not be receiving the on-the-job training they…