On June 19, 2016, one man died and three others were burned, two severely, in an explosion near Watford City, North Dakota. the men where working on a workover rig, which is used for oil well maintenance. The preliminary investigation is looking at whether there was a breech in a gas pipe:
“An initial investigation found there was a breech in a gas pipe that ignited, state and federal investigators said. ‘There was a split in a pipe, and there was an explosion,’ said Mr. [Eric] Brooks,” director of the U.S. OSHA office in Bismark (ABC News).
OSHA will be issuing a report on this explosion, and we will update this page with that information when it is available.
The well site, part of the Bakken oil field region, was operated by XTO Energy Inc., a subsidiary of ExxonMobile, according to ABC.
Those injured included the following, according to the Mckenzie County Sheriff’s Department:
- A 52-year-old from Rock Springs, Wyoming, who tragically died from his injuries;
- A 28-year-old from Fruita, Colorado, who suffered third-degree burns on over 70% of his body;
- A 27-year-old from Rock Springs, Wyoming, who also suffered third-degree burns on over 70% of his body; and
- A 40-year-old from Grand Junction, Colorado, who was burned on his face.
We could not find GoFundMe accounts for the family of the man who died or the men with severe burns who are being treated at the regional burn center in St. Paul, Minnesota. The burn center provides temporary housing for families, but the families of the two men who were severely burned may need financial help with housing if those rooms are not available or if they need to stay for a long period of time. This is just one of the many expenses these families are facing. If GoFundMe accounts are set up by a family member, please let us know, and we will put the links here.
Since late 2010, there have been 49 oilfield-related deaths in North Dakota, most of them people who were working on and servicing drilling rigs or conducting production support operations. This fatality happened on Saturday. On Tuesday, a worker was killed when he was struck by the boom of a crane at an oil well site.
In an OSHA news release dated July 15, 2014, Brooks stated:
“These industries are inherently dangerous, and workers are exposed to multiple hazards every day. Their safety must not be compromised because demand for production keeps increasing. Workers are coming to these growing industries to find jobs, not catastrophic injury and preventable death. These employers have a legal responsibility to protect every employee that works for them.”
That news release was issued to announce the launch of an OSHA enforcement program that was supposed to address “continued concerns about worker safety in these [oil-related] North Dakota industries” (OSHA). But the deaths continue, and North Dakota law is slanted heavily in favor of the big oil companies.
Source: http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/killed-hurt-oil-fire-western-north-dakota-39993285
