Companies operating in the energy sector in Texas play a major role in the state economy. Oil and gas production, in particular, is huge across the Lone Star State. Providing energy services, such as oil extraction or refining, can be incredibly lucrative for a business.
However, the oil and gas industry is also one that is fraught with risks for employees. Workers can easily get hurt on the job after making a simple mistake, and sometimes employees die. Businesses operating in the oil and gas sector in Texas need to identify common risk factors to protect against tragic workplace situations and the expenses they create.
What is the biggest risk for Texas oil and gas workers?
Mass media creates an inaccurate impression about the most dangerous elements of work in the oil and gas industries. People tend to think of fires and explosions as being the biggest risk, in no small part because such incidents often command the attention of the mainstream media for months after they occur.
Large fires and explosions are actually relatively rare. The leading cause of worker deaths is far more commonplace and much less exciting. Texas leads the nation in oil and gas worker fatalities, at least based on 2017 data. That year, of 69 oil and gas worker deaths reported, 44 occurred in Texas. Statistics show that 17 of those deaths or roughly 25% of the oil and gas worker fatalities that year occurred on roadways.
This aligns with earlier industry safety data. The process of transporting oil and gas or of reaching wells in rural areas can be what endangers the workers for energy companies the most.
Better safety practices help protect businesses
Employee mistakes and equipment malfunctions are among the many possible causes of worker injuries that you have very little control over as a business executive or manager. Still, there are things that your business can do to reduce the risk of a transportation incident and of an employee or their surviving family members bringing a lawsuit against the company.
Proper training, careful fleet maintenance and other harm reduction practices can go a long way toward preventing worker claims that could cost your company tens of thousands of dollars or more. Identifying and addressing some of the biggest risks in the energy industry can help companies minimize future financial complications.