Created in 1919, Halliburton is one of the world’s largest oil field service companies and has operations in over 70 countries. Headquartered in both Houston and Dubai, the company is still incorporated in the United States.
Halliburton Workers and the Risk of Accidents
There have been numerous reports of accidents at Halliburton offshore oil rigs over the years. Some of these events include:
- A worker who was dropping a rope to pull up a hose slipped, fell, and landed in a tool basket. It is not certain if the worker was injured, but this accident remains an example of why proper safety precautions are important.
- Two workers were performing maintenance service on a wireline unit when natural gas was released from a compressor unit. A fire resulted that took several employees to extinguish. Fortunately, no one was injured in this fire. But this accident highlights just one of the many ways in which fires occur on offshore oil rigs. Fires on these rigs are very dangerous and often difficult to extinguish.
- A worker was standing by a valve connected to an iron tubing line. When the worker opened the valve, the release caused the tubing to propel and strike the worker in the chest which killed him.
- A worker was struck and killed by a piece of pipe that came loose.
- Flammable vapors were emitted from a pipe while workers were performing a repair. These vapors ignited with an unknown source which created a fire.
- A worker fell through scaffolding on an oil rig that was not properly assembled.
- A piece of machinery created a small fire after it malfunctioned, but fortunately the fire was quickly extinguished.
- A worker was tightening a cement head that being put on the end of the casing coming out of a cemented wall. The worker fell off a chain that was being used as a work platform. The worker receive very serious head injuries and was airlifted from the site. The worker was later pronounced dead.
- Workers were conducting fracturing operations. A pump operator began to pressure up the line to set the seal prior to the workers rigging up a rise. A pump operator did not see any pressure on controls and continued to pressure up the line to the point that the wheel valve failed. Two workers died due to this accident.
- Workers were checking a hose that was not discharging fluid when a hose connection broke which sprayed chemicals onto the chest of workers. Due to the accidents, the workers experienced burns on their chest and face.
Asbestos Risk for Offshore Workers
For many years, companies throughout the United States used asbestos for a variety of purposes. This mainstream use ended when it was determined by medical experts that continued exposure to asbestos has a high risk of causing serious medical conditions.
Many regulations have since been created to eliminate the danger of asbestos, but there is still a risk that workers could be harmed by asbestos in older structures if the material is disrupted in anyway.
Speak to a Texas Oil Accident Attorney
When oil rig accidents occur, workers are frequently left to face very serious injuries and large medical bills. If you or a loved one is involved in an oil rig accident, do not hesitate to contact our experienced legal counsel.
