U.S. Oilfield Deaths Skyrocket With Demand

High Prices Fetched By Gas, Oil, See Roughnecks Working Longer, Harder, Dying More Often

(AP)  Less than two months into the job in the oilfields of West Texas, Brandon Garrett was sliced in half by a motorized spool of steel cable as he and other roughnecks struggled to get a drilling rig up and running.

Garrett's grisly end illustrates yet another soaring cost of America's unquenchable thirst for energy: Deaths among those working the nation's oil and gas fields have risen at an alarming rate, The Associated Press has found.

At least 598 workers died on the job between 2002 and 2007, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. During that period, the number of deaths per year rose by around 70 percent, from 72 victims in 2002 to 125 in 2006 and a preliminary count of 120 in 2007.

The number of people laboring in the nation's oil and gas fields has been soaring as part of a drilling boom that began in 2000-01, but that alone does not appear to explain the rising death toll, since the fatality rate - that is, the number killed relative to the number of workers - also climbed during the first half of the decade.

Many of those deaths have happened in Texas, the nation's largest producer of crude oil and natural gas.

Experts blame several factors for pushing the toll ever higher in an industry long considered one of the most dangerous in the nation. Among them:

A dramatic increase in drilling, spurred by record-breaking oil and natural gas prices. The number of workers in oil and gas jobs shot up from 290,000 in 2002 to 428,000 in 2007. In July 2002, 740 land-based oil and gas rigs were operating in the United States; today, there are about 2,000.

An influx of new workers hired to operate all those rigs. Many of the newcomers are young, inexperienced and speak little English.

A high-pressure environment where workplace safety lapses are common. Government agencies responsible for enforcing the rules rarely dole out tough penalties.

Rampant drug and alcohol use among workers, some of whom turn to methamphetamine to get through 12-hour shifts and labor up to 14 days in a row.

Workers at drilling sites are surrounded by heavy machinery that can kill or maim in an instant. About half the workers who die are struck by equipment or are killed in motor vehicle accidents. Others fall from catwalks, are crushed by falling loads, burned in explosions or become tangled in chains and cables.

Quote

With the growing demand for oil and petroleum products, the production pressures are going to increase and the safety and health problems are going to get worse.

Peg Seminario, AFL-CIO

"This is a very, very hazardous industry with a very high rate of injuries and fatalities," said Peg Seminario, director of safety and health for the AFL-CIO. "Safety and health problems are not getting the attention they need. With the growing demand for oil and petroleum products, the production pressures are going to increase and the safety and health problems are going to get worse."

Many experienced oilfield workers left the industry in the mid-1980s during the oil bust, when a barrel sold for less than $10. Now, with prices over $100 a barrel, many drilling companies are hiring workers with little or no experience.

"A lot of the rig crews are made up of people who were working at Wal-Mart yesterday. Literally," said Mark Altom of the Woodard, Okla.-based Energy Training Council, a nonprofit organization whose programs are recognized by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration.

Kenny Jordan, executive director of the Association of Energy Service Companies, made up of 750 member companies that service oil wells, said that while even one death is too many, oilfield workers are on the job far more hours than before, and that translates into increased chances of injury or death.

He said companies are spending more money to train workers to do their jobs more safely, adding, "I think most people in our industry are cognizant and they have the best interest of their employees in mind."

Garrett's mother, Darlene Murrell, said she believes her son would still be alive had he received more thorough training and better supervision after Patterson-UTI Energy hired him as a rig crew floor hand, a job that might have paid $50,000 a year with overtime.

"I hate to think that someone else is going to have to go through the same thing that I went through," she said.

Continued

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© MMVIII The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

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by chyenna-2009 September 11, 2008 7:28 AM EDT

There are a hundred angry things I could say about this article. But I won''t. I want to address the "speed" these workers take inorder to work those long, hard hours that sounds totally insane. There is a drug called "Provigil". I don''t remember what schedule drug number it is but anyway this drug was being prescribed for patients with narcolipsy mispelled (inability to stay awake). Then it was found to be a great drug for individuals that work 12 hours or more a day, day after day. This drug was tested on monkeys. The monkeys were taking cocaine and then switched to Provigil without withdrawals. The prescribed amount would last 12 hours and then the employee could go home and get a goodnite sleep. Maybe these oil companies should send these guys to doctors, prescribe the drug then after 12 hours the med should be out of their system and then they could have a few brewskies to unwind (be sure to ask doc about drinking after drug out of system). The doctors can explain this drug better than I can, but I was on it and it was awesome. And legal. And no jitters or ching chinging like when you take coke.

Reply to this comment

by oneworldusa September 11, 2008 9:21 AM EDT

I notice Exxon didn''t sponsor this article. Hmmm...

Reply to this comment

by slim1h2o September 11, 2008 9:31 AM EDT

An influx of new workers hired to operate all those rigs. Many of the newcomers are young, inexperienced and speak little English.



And illegal to boot!

Get ICE to Texas at once!

Reply to this comment

by jckbrn-2009 September 11, 2008 10:49 AM EDT

Life is about "balance" -
If there is a truck accident, shall we outlaw trucking?
If there is a death from gunshot, shall we outlaw guns?
If there is a death from drug overdose, shall we outlaw medicines?
Death is a part of life - hardship is a part of success - experience is the greatest teacher.
How can we simply say nobody should ever have to pay for anything? The 1st third of life is learning, the 2nd third of life is applying what we learned, and the final 3rd of life is reaping the rewards of the first 2/3rds - and that process doesn''t change - ever!

Reply to this comment

by godhelptheus September 11, 2008 11:24 AM EDT

My husband is a derrickman on a land rig and yes, his job is very dangerous, but he takes every safety precaution he has learned through the years very seriously. He is a TRUE christian man and doesn''t smoke, drink alcohol or abuse drugs in any form or fashion. He makes the hour and 15 minute drive home every morning/night to be with his family, in other words, he is not what one considers to be "oilfield trash." These other very young men he works with; however, are a different story, they do go out drinking & partying at night, sleep a couple of hours and then go to work operating very heavy machinery and recklessly taking other people''s lives into their immature hands. These oilfield companies are hiring these 18-21 yr old BOYS to do the job of a man and they are too immature to handle the pressures of putting in long hours and extremely hard work. I pray every single morning/evening when my husband walks out the door for his safety and protection during his workshift and during his drive to/from the jobsite. My husband is a shining example of who needs to be working on these rigs and who you would want your son/husband working alongside, I am very proud of him.

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by msimamaji September 11, 2008 11:46 AM EDT

Bush has gutted the OSHA, so that it can no longer do its job effectively. Bush has tried to stamp out labor unions which would give workers say-so in working conditions. Bush has pushed "guest worker" programs which import cheap labor and displace American working people. Far from being a maverick, McCain has rubber stamped every one of these decisions. He''s virulently anti-union.
Obama, on the other hand, has made it very clear that he stands side by side with the working man. Since I am an honorary member of USW, I get their magazine. USW endorses Obama, so does ALF-CIO. Furthermore, Obama wants to jump start a whole new green technology industry worth trillions of dollars, and generating a new generation of high quality green-collar jobs. Obama offers us a vision and a future. If American working people want a future at all - they need to vote for Obama.

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by gop_will_win September 11, 2008 12:13 PM EDT

So what, they are expendable.

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by tootall10142 September 11, 2008 12:44 PM EDT

A lot of people from the cherokee nation work in the fields in oklahoma. Last month the senior drillers told thier companies four in the area. If they didnt stop sending them idiots and children to baby sit ? all the indians were going back to the tee-pee and would and can get a job in south america before morning.The companies set up a screening process where two drillers and two chemical handlers screen the new applicants.They still hire unexpierenced help but they are placed ih a area of the rig that best suits thier capabilities.The injury numbers dropped from 18- 20 a month to 6-9.The peole who run the rigs do the hiring not a secratary in the office.Every person who haqs hiring power must work or a least observe a working rig for one month before hiring any one .drug tests are performed on a rig to rig basis in a prtable lab bought bu the drilling company.Insurance dropped 38% the firsr4 year.

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by thevicar1 September 11, 2008 12:48 PM EDT

So what, they are expendable ------------------------------------------------- Posted by gop_will_win



Small price to pay to keep gas in my pick-em-up truck. That stuff dont grow on trees, ya know!

Reply to this comment

by jmagarotz September 11, 2008 1:09 PM EDT

Bush has gutted the OSHA, so that it can no longer do its job effectively. Bush has tried to stamp out labor unions which would give workers say-so in working conditions.

This comment is "BDS". This comes from an Oklahoma oilfield worker with 30 plus years of experience. One of the reasons for the high injury rate in the South Central US is the influx of Hispanic workers who do not have a good working knowledge of our language and they have trouble understanding some of the reasons for "safety" due to the "language barrier" (for lack of a better word).
He also states the Hispanics are hard workers but lack knowledge of the oil field. He also said the reason the companies hire Hispanics is they will WORK for $40 an hour where most 20 something white kids won''t. Go figure.

Reply to this comment

by upto007 September 11, 2008 1:24 PM EDT

More BS so the oil people can make more money.

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by thevicar1 September 11, 2008 1:34 PM EDT

the Hispanics are hard workers but lack knowledge of the oil field ------------------------------------------------------ Posted by jmagarotz


Stick a pipe in a hole, spin it around, and when the black stuff comes up, put it in a barrel...
Yeah, thats real Rocket Science...way beyond what any Hispanic guy could understand.

Reply to this comment

by zoopster1 September 11, 2008 1:45 PM EDT

Yeah, the author of this article is not impressing me at all. Oil is just as crucial to this nation as is law enforcement and fighting fires. Yet nobody is concluding that we need to phase out police or firemen because some die in the line of duty.

The best things in life are NOT free sir. Any work that truly matters, comes with risk. We as a society have already accepted this. So go preach on some other street corner please.

Reply to this comment

by hangelle September 11, 2008 1:46 PM EDT

Die in Iraq for oil. Die in oilfield in Texas for oil. Doesn''t make a *** bit of difference to these right wing nut jobs, including John McCain, who think that DRILL BABY DRILL is the answer to everything. Disgusting!

Reply to this comment

by rozinante2 September 11, 2008 1:57 PM EDT

Corporations maximize their returns to shareholders subject to the ENFORCEMENT of regulations - not the regulations themselves. So if OSHA is understaffed, and the fines are piddly, the regs may as well not be there. And relying on young guys who are trying to make money to oppose the boss over safety issues is a stupid idea - wimps get fired off of oil rigs.

I''ll tell you what gets the attention of drilling companies - trial lawyers!
SUE, BABY, SUE!

Reply to this comment

by usclimey September 11, 2008 2:08 PM EDT

To zoopster and the other GOP trolls out there - everyone in this this country deserves to have a job where the success of a days work is not measured in how many fingers you have left. Sure, some jobs are more dangerous than others, so the safety precautions on those jobs need to be more intense then on others. OSHA isn''t worth a lick since Bush and his cronies got onto it - we need to ramp up safety not drop it altogether.

Reply to this comment

by usclimey September 11, 2008 2:22 PM EDT

If the moron lib-Demos had their way with OSHA and passed laws to make oil drilling ''''safe,'''' the price of gas would go to $10 per gallon. Would you like that? Would you like the lost jobs it would create? Do you like to see people unemployed?

Posted by whatwhy001

Spoken like a true office worker.

If the jobs were safer, maybe you wouldn''t have to pay 23-yr-olds $40 an hour to work them. Companies insurance would go down. It''s a total fallacy that safety costs money.

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by heewah September 11, 2008 2:23 PM EDT

It is unconscionable that 600 people have died between 2002 and 2007 in America''s oil fields! Surely this situation can be rightfully compared with the sad times our nation experienced before child-labor laws and labor unions were created to safe-guard employees against greedy, uncaring business owners and managers. (Of course, some labor-unions have now become greedy as well, but that''s another story.) This story should inspire any decent American to rally oil companies and the Government to insist that working conditions and worker training significantly improve to protect employees, with stiff penalties enforced for all who break the rules. In addition, drug-testing should be mandatory, as it is in most companies that care about the integrity of their companies as well as their workers. For those who question such moves for fear of gas prices increasing, they should ask themselves how THEY would feel if it were them, or their loved-one, who died as a result of so much outrageous neglect.

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by biger-e September 11, 2008 2:38 PM EDT

Every moron, imbecile and brain dead person can drive a large SUV.

The average IQ of a Hummer owner is 72.




--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Posted by george2221


Really? I drive a Hummer and my IQ is 178. And it gets 20 MPG, pulls my boat, and keeps my children safe. You are bumming if you hit me with you Prius pal.

Reply to this comment

by missingamerica September 11, 2008 2:57 PM EDT

Really? I drive a Hummer and my IQ is 178. And it gets 20 MPG, pulls my boat, and keeps my children safe. You are bumming if you hit me with you Prius pal.

Posted by biger-e at 11:38 AM : Sep 11, 2008

Gloating over the thought of crushing a Prius - likely full of somebody else''s children?

Yup, you are a natural born Republican.

Reply to this comment

by biger-e September 11, 2008 2:57 PM EDT

Oh no, he called me "Sparky". not Sparky.. I hate it when peole call me Sparky...... That''s all you got?

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by biger-e September 11, 2008 3:03 PM EDT

hey ibsteve2u, you may notice that i said "if you hit me with your Prius". and you are correct, I will protect my children first unlike a Dem who wants the "whole village" to protect all the children equally. How nice. I have worked hard to provide safety and security for my family. how about you, counting on other peoples taxes I suppose?

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by missingamerica September 11, 2008 3:05 PM EDT

hey ibsteve2u, you may notice that i said "if you hit me with your Prius". and you are correct, I will protect my children first unlike a Dem who wants the "whole village" to protect all the children equally. How nice. I have worked hard to provide safety and security for my family. how about you, counting on other peoples taxes I suppose?

Posted by biger-e at 12:03 PM : Sep 11, 2008

Tsk, tsk...now I also doubt your claim that your I.Q. is 178 - anyone who is that intelligent would never resort to stereotypical arguments while making gross assumptions.

Reply to this comment

by thevicar1 September 11, 2008 3:07 PM EDT

Gloating over the thought of crushing a Prius - likely full of somebody elses children? Yup, you are a natural born Republican ------------------------------------------------ Posted by ibsteve2u


Its not like you can run over your own kids! They would pull a John Ramsey on you, and accuse you of wanting to hurt them!

Oil, Oil, Oil,
Drifting in the Sea...
Dont buy it at the Station,
you can have it now for FREE,
just come on down to the Shoreline,
where the water used to be!!!

Reply to this comment

by thevicar1 September 11, 2008 3:11 PM EDT

Ha, ha. Try it that way and see how long you last in the business! What a moron. Its a science and an art combined ------------------------------------------------------ Posted by whatwhy001


Riiiiight! Like sweeping a floor, or driving a cab, huh?
Oil - - just like a juice box...
Stick straw in hole and sukk! Gee, Alfred Einstien must have worked all the details out!

GIVE
ME
A
BREAK!!!

Reply to this comment

by slim1h2o September 11, 2008 3:11 PM EDT

Oil, Oil, Oil,
Drifting in the Sea...
Dont buy it at the Station,
you can have it now for FREE,
just come on down to the Shoreline,
where the water used to be!!!


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Posted by TheVicar1 at 12:07 PM : Sep 11, 2008


If you''re capable of refining it, go ahead.

I do like your poem though.:)

Reply to this comment

by Syndicate September 11, 2008 3:12 PM EDT

Sometimes I work with drillers. We install environmental groundwater monitoring wells. Most of the drillers I have met are missing at least one finger. Drilling is very dangerous. It involves lifting very heavy pipes or drill stems high over head. If a cable snaps your screwed. As drilling increases there will be more accidents and sadly loss of life. However it is wrong to attack the oil industry over this. We drill for many reasons. One is environmental monitoring and I don''t see any body bad mouthing the environmental industry because a driller lost his life.

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by thevicar1 September 11, 2008 3:12 PM EDT

More oil rigs mean more oil industry deaths.
More drug use....guess what? More ODs
More Liberals = more brain death.... ----------------------------------------- Posted by listenupfool


except that Brain-Dead Liberals are a renewable resource

Reply to this comment

by missingamerica September 11, 2008 3:13 PM EDT

Its not like you can run over your own kids! They would pull a John Ramsey on you, and accuse you of wanting to hurt them!

Oil, Oil, Oil,
Drifting in the Sea...
Dont buy it at the Station,
you can have it now for FREE,
just come on down to the Shoreline,
where the water used to be!!!

Posted by TheVicar1 at 12:07 PM : Sep 11, 2008

The "drillers" have a rather two-faced approach to their children.

On the one hand, they drive Hummers and tout how much safer their children are as a result.

On the other hand, they could care less about the extra pollution their Hummers put out, or the extra fuel that they burn that will cause oil to run out faster - hastening the day that global food and pharmaceutical shortages, among other things, result from the scarcity of the oil needed to make fertilizers, drugs, plastics, and so on.

And that will seriously harm - or even end - the lives of their grandchildren, if not their children, too.

The bottom line is that Republicans and "drillers" are all about "me" and "now" - and they don''t expect to be alive "in the future" to see the results of their selfishness and myopic vision afflict humanity.

Reply to this comment

by slim1h2o September 11, 2008 3:16 PM EDT

Posted by cbscrash07 at 12:12 PM : Sep 11, 2008

I used to drill in the environmental industry myself, and I''m not missing any fingers.

And if drillers are missing them (fingers), well he was not practicing safe drilling methods.

Reply to this comment

by thevicar1 September 11, 2008 3:17 PM EDT

And that will seriously harm - or even end - the lives of their grandchildren, if not their children, too ------------------------------------------------------ Posted by ibsteve2u


Good arguement, except, I dont have any kids...

So BRING ON THE GASS HOGGS!!!

I aint a Human Being, Im an automobile,
give me water for my radiator -
Of Gasoline and Oil, I can NEVER get my fill,
because I guzzle like an Aligator!!!

Reply to this comment

by bluestardad September 11, 2008 3:19 PM EDT

DOES THIS COUNT THE IRAQ AN OTHER OVERSEAS OILFIELDS?

Reply to this comment

by missingamerica September 11, 2008 3:20 PM EDT

And if drillers are missing them (fingers), well he was not practicing safe drilling methods.

Posted by slim1h2o at 12:16 PM : Sep 11, 2008

Now, you cannot say that...if you have worked in any heavy industry, then you know that anybody who uses a tool - particularly a powered tool - is vulnerable to the failure of the safety features of a tool or the failure of the tool itself.

If the owners of the equipment are under such pressure to fulfill commitments - or are simply seeking the additional profits - and fail to maintain or replace equipment as they should, then I don''t care how safe you play it...

If the equipment fails and you are in the wrong place, then you may end up being in the wrong two or more places.

Reply to this comment

by thevicar1 September 11, 2008 3:23 PM EDT

DOES THIS COUNT THE IRAQ AN OTHER OVERSEAS OILFIELDS? ------------------------------------------------------ Posted by bluestardad


What would a dead Iraqi Oilworker count for?

Reply to this comment

by biger-e September 11, 2008 3:25 PM EDT

Tsk, tsk...now I also doubt your claim that your I.Q. is 178 - anyone who is that intelligent would never resort to stereotypical arguments while making gross assumptions.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Posted by ibsteve2u at 12:05 PM : Sep 11, 2008

First, I get called Sparky and then a "Tsk, tsk". You Dems are just eating me alive here. If you read the posts the "stereotypical arguments while making gross assumptions" started with "Every moron, imbecile and brain dead person can drive a large SUV" and "The average IQ of a Hummer owner is 72."
I tell ya, I come to your Liberal News web site and you guys can''t touch me. I''m on your turf and and I haven''t got one intelligent reply. Just "spark and Tsk,tsk"? WOW! They should make you people pass a test before the let you vote.

Reply to this comment

by missingamerica September 11, 2008 3:25 PM EDT

What would a dead Iraqi Oilworker count for?

Posted by TheVicar1 at 12:23 PM : Sep 11, 2008

lolll...when you get right down to it, there are something like two hundred thousand Iraqis dead due to oil field accidents since 2003...

They accidentally got in between Bush, Cheney, & PNAC, LLP and Iraqs oil fields.

Reply to this comment

by slim1h2o September 11, 2008 3:25 PM EDT

If the equipment fails and you are in the wrong place, then you may end up being in the wrong two or more places.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Posted by ibsteve2u at 12:20 PM : Sep 11, 2008


Sorry. I replaced any and all equipment and tools that out lived their life spans. Weather a frayed cable, a wrench that had too many hours on them, doesn''t matter.

I got rid of old tools, and made dam sure no one else could just pick them and re-use them either. In other words, I took out of service, so nobody would/could get hurt by it.

And that''s just one aspect of safe drilling methods.

Reply to this comment

by missingamerica September 11, 2008 3:27 PM EDT

In other words, I took out of service, so nobody would/could get hurt by it.

And that''s just one aspect of safe drilling methods.

Posted by slim1h2o at 12:25 PM : Sep 11, 2008

Which begs the question: Are all roughnecks fortunate enough to work for someone like you?

Reply to this comment

by ender3rd September 11, 2008 3:29 PM EDT

This article leaves out the cost of securing the oil supplies worldwide.
How many troops have died securing just Iraq''s pipelines? How many more will die?
And how much money do the oil companies pay to use our troops to protect their profits?
As Bush said, America is addicted to oil. Addicts can rationalize anything to keep the buzz going.
Humanity has always been on the road to extinction, there is a future date when life on earth will start over, and all we can do is use our cllective intelligence to prevent that inevitable day as much as possible.

We die only once, and for such a long time.

Reply to this comment

by slim1h2o September 11, 2008 3:32 PM EDT

Which begs the question: Are all roughnecks fortunate enough to work for someone like you?


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Posted by ibsteve2u at 12:27 PM : Sep 11, 2008


Couldn''t tell ya,,I''m retired.

But, just for clarification, in the environmental drilling business, we/they are called "drillers helpers, and not roughnecks.

Reply to this comment

by msimamaji September 11, 2008 3:33 PM EDT

The experts in this report only touch upon one serious risk with oil drilling: terrorism.
Oil companies right now are employing unskilled imported workers. When McCain wins the election, we will witness a lot more drilling. Because we need oil and because oil companies want record profits, McCain will railroad through special guest worker programs for the oil fields and off shore oil platforms. Oil companies will get their labor pool through overseas agencies that conduct no reliable background checks. (Of course in a place like India, Indonesia, or Pakistan, you can%u2019t conduct a reliable background check any way.) This will provide a perfect opening for terrorist to infiltrate our oil fields and drilling platforms.
Obama was half right when said we will not solve our problems by drilling for more oil More drilling will not lower the price of oil for a number of reasons that I don%u2019t have space to discuss here. . And it will usher in a new set of problems that no one, except perhaps yours truly, can imagine. Unfortunately, Obama will lose the election. McCain will win and %u201Cdrill baby drill%u201D may very well translate into %u201Cburn, baby burn.%u201D

Reply to this comment

by biger-e September 11, 2008 3:35 PM EDT

I find it interesting how 80 - 85 percent of the population supported the war in Iraq when it started and when things didn''t go as well as expected you all get to change you minds. Where was the outrage when Sadam was slaughtering the Kurds? If this was Clinton''s war (which it should have been if he had the huevos) you would have praised him.

Reply to this comment

by missingamerica September 11, 2008 3:35 PM EDT

But, just for clarification, in the environmental drilling business, we/they are called "drillers helpers, and not roughnecks.

Posted by slim1h2o at 12:32 PM : Sep 11, 2008

I was referring back to this article, which is about the injuries and deaths occurring in the oil drilling business.

Where they do use the term "roughneck" (and "roustabout"...quaint, and often deadly).

Reply to this comment

by slim1h2o September 11, 2008 3:37 PM EDT

But, just for clarification, in the environmental drilling business, we/they are called "drillers helpers, and not roughnecks.


Sorry, the above sentence should look like this;

But, just for clarification, in the environmental drilling business, we/they are called "drillers and drillers helpers, and not roughnecks.

Reply to this comment

by missingamerica September 11, 2008 3:38 PM EDT

I find it interesting how 80 - 85 percent of the population supported the war in Iraq when it started and when things didn''t go as well as expected you all get to change you minds. [blah blah gross assumptions]

Posted by biger-e at 12:35 PM : Sep 11, 2008

You overlook the fact that at the start of this war America did not know that the WMD stories were all lies.

You wouldn''t quibble with someone who took a car back to the dealer after finding out that the odometer had been rolled back with a drill, would you?

Why should America be expected to continue to support something that is killing their sons, daughters, husbands, wives, mothers, fathers, brothers and sisters - when it was all based upon lies?

Reply to this comment

by slim1h2o September 11, 2008 3:42 PM EDT

Where they do use the term "roughneck" (and "roustabout"...quaint, and often deadly).


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Posted by ibsteve2u at 12:35 PM : Sep 11, 2008


Gothcha!

I was trying to make sure that you understood that there is a difference between the two drilling industries, and that the names and other aspects are not interchangeable, with each other.;)

Reply to this comment

by thevicar1 September 11, 2008 3:50 PM EDT

Gothcha!
I was trying to make sure that you understood that there is a difference between the two drilling industries ------------------------------------------------------ Posted by slim1h2o


My Dentist has been in the drilling Industry for 44 years, and he NEVER lost a finger!!!

Reply to this comment

by slim1h2o September 11, 2008 3:53 PM EDT

and he NEVER lost a finger!!!


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Posted by TheVicar1 at 12:50 PM : Sep 11, 2008

LOL,,And you never bit his finger off? In all that time?

Not even once?


LOL

Reply to this comment

by thevicar1 September 11, 2008 3:54 PM EDT

McCain will win and %u201Cdrill baby drill%u201D may very well translate into %u201Cburn, baby burn.%u201D ------------------------------------------------------ Posted by msimamaji


YOU SAID IT! %u201Cd, and rl%u201D so that %u201Cb a b 201D%u20 1C l%u20 1Dn.%u201D in %u201Cbal%u 01D to %%u2...and dont you forget it!!!

Reply to this comment

by thevicar1 September 11, 2008 4:05 PM EDT

Thats a lucky dentist plugging up that yap of yours with his drill. Think of all the wasted hot air that didnt pollute the environment -------------------------------------------------- Posted by whatwhy001


Youre just saying that because you are jealous that I know more about the drillin Industry than you do!

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[chyenna-2009]

There are a hundred angry things I could say about this article. But I won''t. I want to address the "speed" these workers take inorder to work those long, hard hours that sounds totally insane. There is a drug called "Provigil". I don''t remember what schedule drug number it is but anyway this drug was being prescribed for patients with narcolipsy mispelled (inability to stay awake). Then it was found to be a great drug for individuals that work 12 hours or more a day, day after day. This drug was tested on monkeys. The monkeys were taking cocaine and then switched to Provigil without withdrawals. The prescribed amount would last 12 hours and then the employee could go home and get a goodnite sleep. Maybe these oil companies should send these guys to doctors, prescribe the drug then after 12 hours the med should be out of their system and then they could have a few brewskies to unwind (be sure to ask doc about drinking after drug out of system). The doctors can explain this drug better than I can, but I was on it and it was awesome. And legal. And no jitters or ching chinging like when you take coke.

[oneworldusa]

I notice Exxon didn''t sponsor this article. Hmmm...

[slim1h2o]

An influx of new workers hired to operate all those rigs. Many of the newcomers are young, inexperienced and speak little English.



And illegal to boot!

Get ICE to Texas at once!

[jckbrn-2009]

Life is about "balance" -
If there is a truck accident, shall we outlaw trucking?
If there is a death from gunshot, shall we outlaw guns?
If there is a death from drug overdose, shall we outlaw medicines?
Death is a part of life - hardship is a part of success - experience is the greatest teacher.
How can we simply say nobody should ever have to pay for anything? The 1st third of life is learning, the 2nd third of life is applying what we learned, and the final 3rd of life is reaping the rewards of the first 2/3rds - and that process doesn''t change - ever!

[godhelptheus]

My husband is a derrickman on a land rig and yes, his job is very dangerous, but he takes every safety precaution he has learned through the years very seriously. He is a TRUE christian man and doesn''t smoke, drink alcohol or abuse drugs in any form or fashion. He makes the hour and 15 minute drive home every morning/night to be with his family, in other words, he is not what one considers to be "oilfield trash." These other very young men he works with; however, are a different story, they do go out drinking & partying at night, sleep a couple of hours and then go to work operating very heavy machinery and recklessly taking other people''s lives into their immature hands. These oilfield companies are hiring these 18-21 yr old BOYS to do the job of a man and they are too immature to handle the pressures of putting in long hours and extremely hard work. I pray every single morning/evening when my husband walks out the door for his safety and protection during his workshift and during his drive to/from the jobsite. My husband is a shining example of who needs to be working on these rigs and who you would want your son/husband working alongside, I am very proud of him.

[msimamaji]

Bush has gutted the OSHA, so that it can no longer do its job effectively. Bush has tried to stamp out labor unions which would give workers say-so in working conditions. Bush has pushed "guest worker" programs which import cheap labor and displace American working people. Far from being a maverick, McCain has rubber stamped every one of these decisions. He''s virulently anti-union.
Obama, on the other hand, has made it very clear that he stands side by side with the working man. Since I am an honorary member of USW, I get their magazine. USW endorses Obama, so does ALF-CIO. Furthermore, Obama wants to jump start a whole new green technology industry worth trillions of dollars, and generating a new generation of high quality green-collar jobs. Obama offers us a vision and a future. If American working people want a future at all - they need to vote for Obama.

[gop_will_win]

So what, they are expendable.

[tootall10142]

A lot of people from the cherokee nation work in the fields in oklahoma. Last month the senior drillers told thier companies four in the area. If they didnt stop sending them idiots and children to baby sit ? all the indians were going back to the tee-pee and would and can get a job in south america before morning.The companies set up a screening process where two drillers and two chemical handlers screen the new applicants.They still hire unexpierenced help but they are placed ih a area of the rig that best suits thier capabilities.The injury numbers dropped from 18- 20 a month to 6-9.The peole who run the rigs do the hiring not a secratary in the office.Every person who haqs hiring power must work or a least observe a working rig for one month before hiring any one .drug tests are performed on a rig to rig basis in a prtable lab bought bu the drilling company.Insurance dropped 38% the firsr4 year.

[thevicar1]

So what, they are expendable ------------------------------------------------- Posted by gop_will_win



Small price to pay to keep gas in my pick-em-up truck. That stuff dont grow on trees, ya know!

[jmagarotz]

Bush has gutted the OSHA, so that it can no longer do its job effectively. Bush has tried to stamp out labor unions which would give workers say-so in working conditions.

This comment is "BDS". This comes from an Oklahoma oilfield worker with 30 plus years of experience. One of the reasons for the high injury rate in the South Central US is the influx of Hispanic workers who do not have a good working knowledge of our language and they have trouble understanding some of the reasons for "safety" due to the "language barrier" (for lack of a better word).
He also states the Hispanics are hard workers but lack knowledge of the oil field. He also said the reason the companies hire Hispanics is they will WORK for $40 an hour where most 20 something white kids won''t. Go figure.

[upto007]

More BS so the oil people can make more money.

[thevicar1]

the Hispanics are hard workers but lack knowledge of the oil field ------------------------------------------------------ Posted by jmagarotz


Stick a pipe in a hole, spin it around, and when the black stuff comes up, put it in a barrel...
Yeah, thats real Rocket Science...way beyond what any Hispanic guy could understand.

[zoopster1]

Yeah, the author of this article is not impressing me at all. Oil is just as crucial to this nation as is law enforcement and fighting fires. Yet nobody is concluding that we need to phase out police or firemen because some die in the line of duty.

The best things in life are NOT free sir. Any work that truly matters, comes with risk. We as a society have already accepted this. So go preach on some other street corner please.

[hangelle]

Die in Iraq for oil. Die in oilfield in Texas for oil. Doesn''t make a *** bit of difference to these right wing nut jobs, including John McCain, who think that DRILL BABY DRILL is the answer to everything. Disgusting!

[rozinante2]

Corporations maximize their returns to shareholders subject to the ENFORCEMENT of regulations - not the regulations themselves. So if OSHA is understaffed, and the fines are piddly, the regs may as well not be there. And relying on young guys who are trying to make money to oppose the boss over safety issues is a stupid idea - wimps get fired off of oil rigs.

I''ll tell you what gets the attention of drilling companies - trial lawyers!
SUE, BABY, SUE!

[usclimey]

To zoopster and the other GOP trolls out there - everyone in this this country deserves to have a job where the success of a days work is not measured in how many fingers you have left. Sure, some jobs are more dangerous than others, so the safety precautions on those jobs need to be more intense then on others. OSHA isn''t worth a lick since Bush and his cronies got onto it - we need to ramp up safety not drop it altogether.

[usclimey]

If the moron lib-Demos had their way with OSHA and passed laws to make oil drilling ''''safe,'''' the price of gas would go to $10 per gallon. Would you like that? Would you like the lost jobs it would create? Do you like to see people unemployed?

Posted by whatwhy001

Spoken like a true office worker.

If the jobs were safer, maybe you wouldn''t have to pay 23-yr-olds $40 an hour to work them. Companies insurance would go down. It''s a total fallacy that safety costs money.

[heewah]

It is unconscionable that 600 people have died between 2002 and 2007 in America''s oil fields! Surely this situation can be rightfully compared with the sad times our nation experienced before child-labor laws and labor unions were created to safe-guard employees against greedy, uncaring business owners and managers. (Of course, some labor-unions have now become greedy as well, but that''s another story.) This story should inspire any decent American to rally oil companies and the Government to insist that working conditions and worker training significantly improve to protect employees, with stiff penalties enforced for all who break the rules. In addition, drug-testing should be mandatory, as it is in most companies that care about the integrity of their companies as well as their workers. For those who question such moves for fear of gas prices increasing, they should ask themselves how THEY would feel if it were them, or their loved-one, who died as a result of so much outrageous neglect.

[biger-e]

Every moron, imbecile and brain dead person can drive a large SUV.

The average IQ of a Hummer owner is 72.




--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Posted by george2221


Really? I drive a Hummer and my IQ is 178. And it gets 20 MPG, pulls my boat, and keeps my children safe. You are bumming if you hit me with you Prius pal.

[missingamerica]

Really? I drive a Hummer and my IQ is 178. And it gets 20 MPG, pulls my boat, and keeps my children safe. You are bumming if you hit me with you Prius pal.

Posted by biger-e at 11:38 AM : Sep 11, 2008

Gloating over the thought of crushing a Prius - likely full of somebody else''s children?

Yup, you are a natural born Republican.

[biger-e]

Oh no, he called me "Sparky". not Sparky.. I hate it when peole call me Sparky...... That''s all you got?

[biger-e]

hey ibsteve2u, you may notice that i said "if you hit me with your Prius". and you are correct, I will protect my children first unlike a Dem who wants the "whole village" to protect all the children equally. How nice. I have worked hard to provide safety and security for my family. how about you, counting on other peoples taxes I suppose?

[missingamerica]

hey ibsteve2u, you may notice that i said "if you hit me with your Prius". and you are correct, I will protect my children first unlike a Dem who wants the "whole village" to protect all the children equally. How nice. I have worked hard to provide safety and security for my family. how about you, counting on other peoples taxes I suppose?

Posted by biger-e at 12:03 PM : Sep 11, 2008

Tsk, tsk...now I also doubt your claim that your I.Q. is 178 - anyone who is that intelligent would never resort to stereotypical arguments while making gross assumptions.

[thevicar1]

Gloating over the thought of crushing a Prius - likely full of somebody elses children? Yup, you are a natural born Republican ------------------------------------------------ Posted by ibsteve2u


Its not like you can run over your own kids! They would pull a John Ramsey on you, and accuse you of wanting to hurt them!

Oil, Oil, Oil,
Drifting in the Sea...
Dont buy it at the Station,
you can have it now for FREE,
just come on down to the Shoreline,
where the water used to be!!!

[thevicar1]

Ha, ha. Try it that way and see how long you last in the business! What a moron. Its a science and an art combined ------------------------------------------------------ Posted by whatwhy001


Riiiiight! Like sweeping a floor, or driving a cab, huh?
Oil - - just like a juice box...
Stick straw in hole and sukk! Gee, Alfred Einstien must have worked all the details out!

GIVE
ME
A
BREAK!!!

[slim1h2o]

Oil, Oil, Oil,
Drifting in the Sea...
Dont buy it at the Station,
you can have it now for FREE,
just come on down to the Shoreline,
where the water used to be!!!


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Posted by TheVicar1 at 12:07 PM : Sep 11, 2008


If you''re capable of refining it, go ahead.

I do like your poem though.:)

[Syndicate]

Sometimes I work with drillers. We install environmental groundwater monitoring wells. Most of the drillers I have met are missing at least one finger. Drilling is very dangerous. It involves lifting very heavy pipes or drill stems high over head. If a cable snaps your screwed. As drilling increases there will be more accidents and sadly loss of life. However it is wrong to attack the oil industry over this. We drill for many reasons. One is environmental monitoring and I don''t see any body bad mouthing the environmental industry because a driller lost his life.

[thevicar1]

More oil rigs mean more oil industry deaths.
More drug use....guess what? More ODs
More Liberals = more brain death.... ----------------------------------------- Posted by listenupfool


except that Brain-Dead Liberals are a renewable resource

[missingamerica]

Its not like you can run over your own kids! They would pull a John Ramsey on you, and accuse you of wanting to hurt them!

Oil, Oil, Oil,
Drifting in the Sea...
Dont buy it at the Station,
you can have it now for FREE,
just come on down to the Shoreline,
where the water used to be!!!

Posted by TheVicar1 at 12:07 PM : Sep 11, 2008

The "drillers" have a rather two-faced approach to their children.

On the one hand, they drive Hummers and tout how much safer their children are as a result.

On the other hand, they could care less about the extra pollution their Hummers put out, or the extra fuel that they burn that will cause oil to run out faster - hastening the day that global food and pharmaceutical shortages, among other things, result from the scarcity of the oil needed to make fertilizers, drugs, plastics, and so on.

And that will seriously harm - or even end - the lives of their grandchildren, if not their children, too.

The bottom line is that Republicans and "drillers" are all about "me" and "now" - and they don''t expect to be alive "in the future" to see the results of their selfishness and myopic vision afflict humanity.

[slim1h2o]

Posted by cbscrash07 at 12:12 PM : Sep 11, 2008

I used to drill in the environmental industry myself, and I''m not missing any fingers.

And if drillers are missing them (fingers), well he was not practicing safe drilling methods.

[thevicar1]

And that will seriously harm - or even end - the lives of their grandchildren, if not their children, too ------------------------------------------------------ Posted by ibsteve2u


Good arguement, except, I dont have any kids...

So BRING ON THE GASS HOGGS!!!

I aint a Human Being, Im an automobile,
give me water for my radiator -
Of Gasoline and Oil, I can NEVER get my fill,
because I guzzle like an Aligator!!!

[bluestardad]

DOES THIS COUNT THE IRAQ AN OTHER OVERSEAS OILFIELDS?

[missingamerica]

And if drillers are missing them (fingers), well he was not practicing safe drilling methods.

Posted by slim1h2o at 12:16 PM : Sep 11, 2008

Now, you cannot say that...if you have worked in any heavy industry, then you know that anybody who uses a tool - particularly a powered tool - is vulnerable to the failure of the safety features of a tool or the failure of the tool itself.

If the owners of the equipment are under such pressure to fulfill commitments - or are simply seeking the additional profits - and fail to maintain or replace equipment as they should, then I don''t care how safe you play it...

If the equipment fails and you are in the wrong place, then you may end up being in the wrong two or more places.

[thevicar1]

DOES THIS COUNT THE IRAQ AN OTHER OVERSEAS OILFIELDS? ------------------------------------------------------ Posted by bluestardad


What would a dead Iraqi Oilworker count for?

[biger-e]

Tsk, tsk...now I also doubt your claim that your I.Q. is 178 - anyone who is that intelligent would never resort to stereotypical arguments while making gross assumptions.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Posted by ibsteve2u at 12:05 PM : Sep 11, 2008

First, I get called Sparky and then a "Tsk, tsk". You Dems are just eating me alive here. If you read the posts the "stereotypical arguments while making gross assumptions" started with "Every moron, imbecile and brain dead person can drive a large SUV" and "The average IQ of a Hummer owner is 72."
I tell ya, I come to your Liberal News web site and you guys can''t touch me. I''m on your turf and and I haven''t got one intelligent reply. Just "spark and Tsk,tsk"? WOW! They should make you people pass a test before the let you vote.

[missingamerica]

What would a dead Iraqi Oilworker count for?

Posted by TheVicar1 at 12:23 PM : Sep 11, 2008

lolll...when you get right down to it, there are something like two hundred thousand Iraqis dead due to oil field accidents since 2003...

They accidentally got in between Bush, Cheney, & PNAC, LLP and Iraqs oil fields.

[slim1h2o]

If the equipment fails and you are in the wrong place, then you may end up being in the wrong two or more places.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Posted by ibsteve2u at 12:20 PM : Sep 11, 2008


Sorry. I replaced any and all equipment and tools that out lived their life spans. Weather a frayed cable, a wrench that had too many hours on them, doesn''t matter.

I got rid of old tools, and made dam sure no one else could just pick them and re-use them either. In other words, I took out of service, so nobody would/could get hurt by it.

And that''s just one aspect of safe drilling methods.

[missingamerica]

In other words, I took out of service, so nobody would/could get hurt by it.

And that''s just one aspect of safe drilling methods.

Posted by slim1h2o at 12:25 PM : Sep 11, 2008

Which begs the question: Are all roughnecks fortunate enough to work for someone like you?

[ender3rd]

This article leaves out the cost of securing the oil supplies worldwide.
How many troops have died securing just Iraq''s pipelines? How many more will die?
And how much money do the oil companies pay to use our troops to protect their profits?
As Bush said, America is addicted to oil. Addicts can rationalize anything to keep the buzz going.
Humanity has always been on the road to extinction, there is a future date when life on earth will start over, and all we can do is use our cllective intelligence to prevent that inevitable day as much as possible.

We die only once, and for such a long time.

[slim1h2o]

Which begs the question: Are all roughnecks fortunate enough to work for someone like you?


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Posted by ibsteve2u at 12:27 PM : Sep 11, 2008


Couldn''t tell ya,,I''m retired.

But, just for clarification, in the environmental drilling business, we/they are called "drillers helpers, and not roughnecks.

[msimamaji]

The experts in this report only touch upon one serious risk with oil drilling: terrorism.
Oil companies right now are employing unskilled imported workers. When McCain wins the election, we will witness a lot more drilling. Because we need oil and because oil companies want record profits, McCain will railroad through special guest worker programs for the oil fields and off shore oil platforms. Oil companies will get their labor pool through overseas agencies that conduct no reliable background checks. (Of course in a place like India, Indonesia, or Pakistan, you can%u2019t conduct a reliable background check any way.) This will provide a perfect opening for terrorist to infiltrate our oil fields and drilling platforms.
Obama was half right when said we will not solve our problems by drilling for more oil More drilling will not lower the price of oil for a number of reasons that I don%u2019t have space to discuss here. . And it will usher in a new set of problems that no one, except perhaps yours truly, can imagine. Unfortunately, Obama will lose the election. McCain will win and %u201Cdrill baby drill%u201D may very well translate into %u201Cburn, baby burn.%u201D

[biger-e]

I find it interesting how 80 - 85 percent of the population supported the war in Iraq when it started and when things didn''t go as well as expected you all get to change you minds. Where was the outrage when Sadam was slaughtering the Kurds? If this was Clinton''s war (which it should have been if he had the huevos) you would have praised him.

[missingamerica]

But, just for clarification, in the environmental drilling business, we/they are called "drillers helpers, and not roughnecks.

Posted by slim1h2o at 12:32 PM : Sep 11, 2008

I was referring back to this article, which is about the injuries and deaths occurring in the oil drilling business.

Where they do use the term "roughneck" (and "roustabout"...quaint, and often deadly).

[slim1h2o]

But, just for clarification, in the environmental drilling business, we/they are called "drillers helpers, and not roughnecks.


Sorry, the above sentence should look like this;

But, just for clarification, in the environmental drilling business, we/they are called "drillers and drillers helpers, and not roughnecks.

[missingamerica]

I find it interesting how 80 - 85 percent of the population supported the war in Iraq when it started and when things didn''t go as well as expected you all get to change you minds. [blah blah gross assumptions]

Posted by biger-e at 12:35 PM : Sep 11, 2008

You overlook the fact that at the start of this war America did not know that the WMD stories were all lies.

You wouldn''t quibble with someone who took a car back to the dealer after finding out that the odometer had been rolled back with a drill, would you?

Why should America be expected to continue to support something that is killing their sons, daughters, husbands, wives, mothers, fathers, brothers and sisters - when it was all based upon lies?

[slim1h2o]

Where they do use the term "roughneck" (and "roustabout"...quaint, and often deadly).


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Posted by ibsteve2u at 12:35 PM : Sep 11, 2008


Gothcha!

I was trying to make sure that you understood that there is a difference between the two drilling industries, and that the names and other aspects are not interchangeable, with each other.;)

[thevicar1]

Gothcha!
I was trying to make sure that you understood that there is a difference between the two drilling industries ------------------------------------------------------ Posted by slim1h2o


My Dentist has been in the drilling Industry for 44 years, and he NEVER lost a finger!!!

[slim1h2o]

and he NEVER lost a finger!!!


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Posted by TheVicar1 at 12:50 PM : Sep 11, 2008

LOL,,And you never bit his finger off? In all that time?

Not even once?


LOL

[thevicar1]

McCain will win and %u201Cdrill baby drill%u201D may very well translate into %u201Cburn, baby burn.%u201D ------------------------------------------------------ Posted by msimamaji


YOU SAID IT! %u201Cd, and rl%u201D so that %u201Cb a b 201D%u20 1C l%u20 1Dn.%u201D in %u201Cbal%u 01D to %%u2...and dont you forget it!!!

[thevicar1]

Thats a lucky dentist plugging up that yap of yours with his drill. Think of all the wasted hot air that didnt pollute the environment -------------------------------------------------- Posted by whatwhy001


Youre just saying that because you are jealous that I know more about the drillin Industry than you do!