Oil Field Accidents

The Bismarck Tribune reports that Phillips 66 and Bridger Pipeline have announced preliminary plans to build a new pipeline which would transport crude oil from the Bakken and the Rocky Mountain production areas down to Corpus Christi, Texas. The companies report that the new Liberty Pipeline would transport 350,000 barrels of crude oil per day,…

Methane is a gas produced by landfills, coal mines, and wastewater treatment plants, in addition to oil and gas facilities. For years, energy companies have complained that the environmental restrictions requiring them to test for emissions were expensive and difficult, amounting to nothing more than bureaucratic red tape. The Trump administration has finally listened to…

The recent U.S. shale revolution has brought drilling and oil production to places that previously had little industry of the type, like our Bakken Shale Formation. Before, we never had the infrastructure to move product away—but all that changed with the advent of “virtual pipelines,” aka rail tank cars. According to E&E News, at the…

Two drilling rig employees were recently injured in a fire that’s under investigation by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). The accident occurred around 5:30pm on July 2 at a Continental Resources site between Keene and New Town. According to an article in the Bismarck Tribune, the employees suffered burns to their hands and…

Earlier this year we reported on the harrowing statistics surrounding the oil and gas extraction industry in North Dakota, and how workers seem to be required to take their lives in their hands to do their work. We questioned whether safety was a priority because of all the tragic reports of serious injuries and deaths.…

Most truck drivers are required by federal law to get enough sleep and rest. The oil field industry, however, is exempted from parts of the federal laws on driving and fatigue, administered by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA). The exemptions were created in the 1960s at the request of the oil and gas…

The oil and gas industry is hard on its workforce. Yes, it helps keep our economy running – but it poses a lot of dangers to its workers. Among the most serious is toxic chemical exposure: not only can corrosive materials lead to serious burns, but inhaling the fumes can lead to a lot of…

The North Dakota oil fields, especially the Bakken formation, have provided our people with jobs and security for well over a decade. Our workers are strong and dedicated, and we appreciate all the hard work they do for our state. But when safety takes a back seat to meeting high quotas, employees can get hurt.…

Under federal law, workers are entitled to a safe workplace free of known health and safety hazards, according to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). Workers have rights, including the right to speak up about safety concerns without fear of retaliation, to be trained in a language you can understand, and to be provided…

Right now, the oil business is expanding after strong 2017 numbers. New demand and new technologies have spiked production all around the country, which also increases the demand for field workers. There is no doubt that the oil and gas industry has been good for North Dakota. But is it always good for workers? Oil…