Remote oil and gas workers have some of the most dangerous jobs in the United States. Many are also heading back to oil production sites that were shuttered during the industry downturn earlier this year. These workers will be driving hundreds of miles weekly on back roads in rural areas to work on pipelines, compressor stations, and pump jacks, a fact of life for thousands of workers in these industries. However, safety is still a supremely important issue to these companies.
Employers of remote workers have the unique challenge of understanding these occupations come with hundreds of different occupational hazards, any of which could seriously injure or kill employees. Workers have been injured and killed in many accidents involving slips and falls, electrocution, falling objects, toxic and flammable gas exposure, and cuts and burns. However, because they work remotely, it can be difficult to monitor their safety and take appropriate actions to prevent these incidents.
Thanks to recent developments in technology, cloud-based computing and wireless, mobile technology have made it easier for lone workers to stay safe. Safety managers can now receive a constant stream of data on a worker’s exact location in addition to their biophysical and atmospheric conditions. With these devices, safety managers can monitor employee safety and initiate or assist with decisive or preemptive safety actions from anywhere in the world.
However, these devices are still somewhat limited. While the tools provide panic buttons, these are of little use if the worker is already down because of an accident and can’t press the alarm. Other alarms, might prove unavailable or unreliable depending on the network connection and environmental conditions. Gas detectors can warn of a gas emergency but no other hazards; they also alert only the worker while managers remain unaware of the danger. Likewise, manual check-in policies are only useful if the worker has a good network connection and remembers to call.
The technology will continue to improve. Until it works perfectly, however, workers are constantly injured in the field. If you are an oil or gas worker who was injured on the job, talk to our San Antonio oil field accidents attorney about your case. Let us see how we can help you seek compensation.
Contact us at (210) 807-3178 or fill out our online form to schedule a free consultation with us today.