On Aug. 1, a report came out explaining the deaths of five workers who were located at an Oklahoma drilling rig when it exploded. According to the report, Patterson-UTI Drilling has been cited by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) in relation to the deaths. Two other companies, Crescent Consulting LLC and Skyline Directional Drilling LLC, also faced citations for exposing their workers to explosion hazards and fire hazards.
The report indicates that the OSHA believed that Patterson-UTI and Crescent Consulting did not properly control the process while drilling a well. They also failed to inspect the slow-descent devices or have an emergency response plan on record. All three companies received citations over the failure to make sure the heat lamps used were allowed based on current requirements.
The five workers killed include a 29-year-old man, 35-year-old man, 26-year-old man, 55-year-old man and 60-year-old man. It’s not clear exactly how the men died other than being involved in an explosion.
People who work in hazardous industries are often at risk, but they shouldn’t have to fear for their lives when they’re at work. It’s the responsibility of employers to make sure they follow safety protocols and that there are safety protocols in place to prevent serious injuries and accidents.
If a business does not have safety requirements or protocols in place, then there is a risk that people could get hurt and that the response to that emergency may be slowed. This is unfair to the victims and their families, who deserve better from employers than to have subpar working conditions.