Weatherford International is an Irish domiciled oil domiciled multinational oil and gas company which is one of the largest in the world. It provides products and services for drilling, evaluation, completion, production and intervention of oil and natural gas wells, along with pipeline construction and commissioning. It is headquartered in Baar, Switzerland. As of 2016 Weatherford International operated in more than one hundred countries and hired over thirty five thousand employees.
- In 2010 a Weatherford International facility in Leetsdale, Pennsylvania, accidentally released a cloud of ammonium persulfate that resulted in the evacuation of five hundred workers from the surrounding industrial park.
- In 2007 in the West Epsilon Rig a section of thirty inch casing, weighing 8.5 tons, crashed onto the drillers cabin of the mobile facility. A process was underway to pull, disassemble and lay down the casing on the deck when the lifting collar, also known as an elevator, opened up and the casing fell out and down the drilling hut. The casing collapsed the roof of the drilling hut and the end of the casing ended up in the drillers chair. Only minor injuries were reported, included those sustained by the driller sitting in the chair who dodged the falling elevator and only suffered lacerations. Weatherford International was warned to ensure that this type of elevator satisfied regulatory requirements, so as to limit the possibility of human error as much as possible.
Asbestos and the Oil Industry
During the twentieth century asbestos became a very popular material in the oil industry due to its low costs, durability, heat and fire resistance. This made the oil industry one of the industries with the highest numbers of asbestos exposure. Asbestos has been linked to many health complications, including Mesothelioma a deadly and aggressive kind of cancer, most commonly found in the pleura, the layer of tissue that surrounds the lungs.
[widgets_on_pages id=”Offshore News”]
Oil Rig Accident Attorneys
Oil rig accident attorneys represent workers and ex-workers that have been involved in accidents at their job locations. These accidents can leave those involved in them exposed to long term consequences including, but not limited, to injury, chronic pain, possible disability and mounting medical bills. Some of them can even be fatal. If you or a loved one have been involved in one of these accidents contacting a specialized lawyer in your area to get a case evaluation is the first step toward getting the compensation you need and deserve.
