With more information coming out every day about the BP oil rig disaster, Americans are finding an increased interested in the dangers associated with offshore drilling rigs . Not only do offshore drilling rigs posses the capacity for untold environmental consequences, the drastic and often deadly impact they pose to those who work on the rigs is now the subject of National attention.
Workers who have been injured on a jack-up rig, floating rig, or while being transported to one of those are covered under the Jones Act, an act designed to provide special protection to people who work under dangerous maritime conditions. Proving negligence in these cases can be difficult, however, and only with the help of an experienced oil rig injury attorney can you be sure you are getting the full compensation you deserve.
Dangers of Working on an Offshore Oil Rig
During Congressional hearings, it has been made clear by the CEOs of all of the major oil companies that cost cutting measures often take precedence over worker safety. On an offshore oil rig, the dangers of cutting cost and ignoring safety all too often results in catastrophe for the workers. Some common dangers that can be found on an offshore oil rig are:
• Faulty grating and pipe tongs
• Faulty cables or blocks
• Cathead slips
• Wet or obstructed walkways
When safety is ignored in favor of saving money, the cost is often made up in injuries to the workers.Common injuries on an offshore oil rig include:
• Serious burns
• Head and brain injuries
• Broken bones
• Wrongful death
All of these injuries can have long-term, expensive, and emotionally trying consequences. In some cases, you may not be able to return to work for awhile, resulting in lost wages. In others, you may require physical or other types of rehabilitative therapy. In others still, the result of an offshore drilling rig accident may result in permanent disability or death.
As the Nation has watched the inaction on the part of BP with absolute horror, it becomes increasingly clear that relying on the oil companies to pay for their negligence may, in fact, be futile. Because of this, having an experienced offshore oil rig injury attorney on your side is the only way to ensure you are quickly and appropriately compensated for the losses you are suffering due to their negligence.
