Bakken Oil field work hazards have long been a source of contention amongst
organizations committed to safe work conditions such as OSHA. It seems
that oil field injuries are
high here, according to numbers. Over the summer, federal regulators attempted to
take things into their own hands with legal enforcement. However, the
progress of this strategy remains yet to be seen. While workers continue
to work in unsafe conditions, it may be every worker fending for their
own rights within the fields.
In July of 2015, federal workplace safety regulators in North Dakota put
forth plans more aggressive enforcement strategies that would hold big
oil companies, like that in Bakken, to be accountable for increased
oil field injuries. After the examination of new injuries and accidents in Montana, North
Dakota and South Dakota the regulators scrutinized whether employers such
as big oil companies pay their employees speed bonuses at the expense
of safety, offering an incentive to work faster, although not necessarily safer.
It is clear that deciding comprehensive safety regulations that drastically
decrease the number of oil field injuries at Bakkenis going to be difficult
as major energy company heads often do not have direct employees at their
work sites. Contractors and temps are just as likely to be injured or
even killed at oil sites. The need for a detailed and efficient enforcement
structure is still in the works although OSHA still struggles to enforce
accountability on oil fields such as Bakken.
Do to the lack of oversight and existing regulation within oil work sites,
it’s advisable to gain legal advice on work injuries that can be
compensated. Not only will help individuals, together, these cases make
work injury the issue that it should be, one concerning the protection
basic human right to safety in the workplace.
Contact us today if you have questions regarding potential oil field injury injustice.