offshore Injury’ Category
Offshore Worker’s Death Blamed on Safety Violations
Monday, March 1st, 2010
A maritime investigation in the UK has blamed failure to follow basic safety principles for the death of an offshore worker.
The worker, David Stephenson died after suffering crushing injuries when a 4-ton cursor fell on him as he worked on a diving support vessel. The brake failed when the power was turned off, and the equipment fell on the seaman. The injured worker was flown to the Aberdeen Royal Infirmary, and died the same evening. The accident occurred in April last year, just as families of offshore workers were mourning the deaths of 17 people in a helicopter...
Injuries on Offshore Platforms and Rigs- What are Your Legal Recovery Options?
Friday, February 19th, 2010
Maritime and admiralty laws are some of the most fascinating and intricate bodies of laws. A worker may find that the most minor distinction can define whether he is a Jones Act seaman, a longshore worker or a worker covered under the Workers’ Compensation laws of his state.
Take for instance, a worker who is injured on an offshore oil rig. His legal rights may be entirely different from a worker injured on an offshore platform. That’s because these two vessels are seen as entirely different from a maritime law perspective.
An offshore rig is mobile and can be moved, while...
Maritime Lawyer Alert: New Offshore Service Vessel Rules Now in Effect
Monday, February 1st, 2010
On January 1st, new rules for offshore support and supply vessels set out by Germanischer Lloyd, went into effect. The rules apply to ships meant for offshore supply and support, offshore towing vessels and other vessels offering specialized services.
An offshore supply vessel may include supply boats, anchor handling ships, standby ships, well stimulation vessels and special support vessels built to help in fire fighting activities. Offshore vessels are designed differently from general cargo vessels. These vessels are now larger, and come with more sophisticated technical capabilities to assist in complex deepwater tasks.
The new rules are meant to support...
Gulf of Mexico Offshore Worker Safety Continues to be Major Safety Concern
Thursday, January 14th, 2010
Contrary to what the oil and gas industry will tell you, offshore platform worker fatalities have actually increased over the past few years. Yesterday’s fatal fire on an Apache platform in the Gulf of Mexico indicates that worker safety on these rigs continues to be an issue. The worker, Frank Richard suffered fatal burin injuries in the fire, and two other workers sustained injuries.
According to data by the Minerals Management Service published in Chron.com, in 2006, 10 offshore workers died in accidents on a platform. In 2007, 5 workers were killed in such accidents and in 2008, the...
Offshore Worker Killed in Fire on Gulf of Mexico Platform
Thursday, January 14th, 2010
As a maritime lawyer, I see that despite advancements in safety technologies, offshore worker injuries and deaths continue to occur. In the most recent such incident, a fire on an Apache Corp oil and gas drilling platform in the Gulf of Mexico has killed one worker and injured two others.
There is no information on how the fire broke out on the platform. However, the crew members were apparently rescued by another commercial vessel that was nearby. The injured workers were rushed to the hospital, where the victim Frank Richard of Louisiana died of his injuries. The other two workers...
Jones Act Seaman Bases Claim on Injuries Suffered While Performing Stressful Work
Monday, January 11th, 2010
A Jones Act lawsuit in a Jefferson County District Court blames the seaman’s hernia and other injuries on heavy and stressful work that the man was forced to perform.
According to the seaman, who worked on an offshore semi submersible rig owned by BP America Production Company, he was ordered to move a 30- gallon gas drum weighing hundreds of pounds up the stairs. This was not part of the worker’s normal duties, and had to be done because the hoses that were typically used to transfer gas to air compressors, were not functioning. As the worker tried to...
Offshore Helicopter Crash Inquiry Raises Safety Concerns for Maritime Attorneys
Sunday, January 10th, 2010
As a maritime lawyer, I have been following with great interest the ongoing offshore helicopter safety inquiry in Canada that is looking into a crash in March that killed 17 people.
As the inquiry goes on, we are getting to hear about more about the kind of safety concerns that offshore workers in our own country, struggle with. In particular, testimony from the sole offshore worker who survived the deadly accident, is pointing to gear and training problems that made survival a challenge. Robert Decker is the only worker who survived the March 17th helicopter crash of St...
