A new report indicates that drilling in the resource-rich Eagle Ford shale region has the potential to jump start the economic growth of South Texas. But, with the rush to exploit oil and gas resources comes heightened risk for oil field workers.
A Job Explosion
In 2008, the ground was first pierced in the Eagle Ford shale. Up until the end of 2010, 6,800 well-paying full-time jobs were directly created by oil and natural gas drilling according to research from the University of Texas at San Antonio's Center for Community and Business Research. In addition, around another 6,000 jobs in the region including anything from oil field support staff to restaurant servers could be indirectly attributed to the drilling boom.
This may be just the beginning: the study predicted that in a decade, Eagle Ford drilling will support five times more jobs than it did at the end of 2010. With prices and demand soaring, development of the Eagle Ford shale is unlikely to slow anytime soon.
Risky Work
While drilling work comes with competitive compensation, it can also be very dangerous. Explosions, fires, falls, and entanglements with heavy machinery are all potential threats to oil field workers. In the rush to exploit resources while prices are high, some companies overlook safety: providing insufficient training or supervision, using faulty, low-quality, or unsafe equipment, failing to take adequate safety precautions in operations, or tolerating carelessness by employees. These can all be oversights that lead to life-changing consequences for workers.
If you have been injured in a drilling accident, you may be entitled to a number of remedies. The party at fault could be required to pay for your medical expenses, pain and suffering, wages forgone due to an inability to work, and other resulting losses.
If you or a family member has been injured in a drilling accident contact an experiences oil field accident attorney. Drilling is dangerous work, but holding those responsible accountable for inattention to worker safety issues helps make the oilfields a better environment for everyone.
