As Crude Oil Prices Drop, Bakken Death Count Rises for Oil Field Workers

Spike in Oil Field Deaths Come as Crude Oil Prices Fall

On March 12, 2015 the Wall Street Journal reported that the impact on oil worker safety is on the rise as crude oil prices plummet. In their article, Oil Deaths Rise as Bakken Boom Fades, the alarming number of deaths in North Dakota causes pause as “at least eight workers have died since October 2014 in North Dakota’s oil fields, more than in the preceding 12 months combined”. The article points to a few key reasons for possible reasons for the increase in fatal accidents across the Bakken oil fields: costing cutting measures, return to basic safety errors and reduction in labor.

North Dakota Government’s Response

Worker safety in the North Dakota oil patch is not a new topic. If you remember Gov. Jack Dalrymple’s pledge last September to have his top safety and health officials study North Dakota’s high worker fatality rate, including from oil and gas industry accidents, you may wonder what has become of their work.

Recently, the America Fault Lines team which has spent six months investigating safety risks in North Dakota’s oil fields, posted a response received from Director and Policy Advisor, Jeff Zent sent them by email. (“Fault Lines requested an interview with North Dakota Governor Jack Dalrymple several times, with no success,” the post says.)

Jeff Zent provided many statistics meant to support the office of the Governor’s belief and summarized their response by saying, “We believe we have an effective strategy whereby we focus on employee and worker education, safety training and incentives to operate safe work places. OSHA plays a critical role by enforcing federal safety laws, and OSHA officials have said they may add additional resources in North Dakota if they see the need.”

Director Jeff Zent’s Posted Response:

• Of 64 fatal work injuries reported in North Dakota in 2012, 39 (61 percent) resulted from transportation accidents. Twenty-five of the transportation accidents were roadway incidents. All other major event categories each reported fewer than 10 deaths.
• Agents from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) have been in the field in North Dakota since June and report that the state’s fatality rate has decreased since OSHA has implemented an enforcement emphasis program. “OSHA did not quantify improvements.”
• North Dakota has experienced tremendous growth in the last several years in terms of highway traffic, road construction, population, energy production and overall economics.
• The state has responded to growth with 20 new Highway Patrol officers (most stationed in western North Dakota), new roads and highways, and $382 million in Energy Impact Grants to fund enhancements to local law enforcement agencies, emergency responders and other critical needs in the western portion of the state.
• WSI, a workers’ compensation insurer and safety consultant, has provided safety training programs, free safety consultations and insurance discount programs “that further incentivize employers to make worker safety their top priority.”
• WSI provides employers up to a 25 percent premium discount if they participate in a variety of safety programs. The company issued $21 million in safety premium discounts in FY 2014. (It does not say how much $21 million is in comparison to total premiums paid by ND employers in FY 2014.)
• The ND Safety Council, a private non-profit organization supported through grants, donations and memberships, has trained more than 37,000 workers (it does not say over what period). The Council’s annual four-day workforce safety training program in Bismarck offers more than 70 training classes and draws more than 1,000 attendees (it does not say who they may be).
• The Safety Council also provides training programs and on-the-job safety training for many industries including oil and gas.
• 78 percent of current training activity by TrainND, which operates on four University System community college campuses, involves the oil and gas industry.

Overall, Mr. Zent’s email tells us little. Readers might look to the Bakken oil field investigation and decide for themselves whether residents of North Dakota believe that the idea of keeping Bakken oil field workers safe benefits from further discussion and explanation from Governor Dalrymple.

Larson Law Protects Oil Field Worker Safety

If you or a loved one of yours has been injured or killed because of negligent safety in a North Dakota oil field, you have legal options. Contact a North Dakota oil field accident lawyer at Larson Law Office in Minot today. We have extensive experience pursuing oil field death and catastrophic injury cases throughout North Dakota, and we can discuss your case with you in a free initial legal consultation.