For many people in the United States and across the world, natural gas is an important part of their everyday lives. However, like with all necessities, workers in Pennsylvania and across the country whose job it is to obtain them could face the potential for harm in an industrial accident. Unfortunately, reports indicate that workers were recently killed in an explosion on a natural gas rig.
The explosion happened just before 9 a.m. on a day in January. Witnesses claim that workers heard a loud boom. Most of them were able to escape; of the 17 that survived, only one minor injury was reported. However, the medical examiner has requested dental records to help identify the ones who were not able to escape.
Although the fire burned until noon the same day, it was not safe enough the retrieve the bodies of the deceased victims until days after the explosion. The five victims were discovered in the control room that is on top of the drilling platform. The rig belongs to Patterson-UTI Energy Inc., which also employed three of the deceased victims. It is unclear what caused the explosion.
While the communities seem to be rallying around the families of the deceased workers, the industrial accident will have lasting ramifications. In addition to dealing with the unexpected death of their loved one, they must also cope with the financial consequences of their loss, including lost wages and funeral expenses. Fortunately, employers are required to provide workers' compensation insurance coverage. While these benefits provide for medical expenses and lost wages in the event of an accident, they can also extend to certain family members in the event of a fatality such as this. Because of the stress already associated with such a loss, many in Pennsylvania who deserve such compensation seek guidance from an experienced professional.
Source: eenews.net, "Rig wreckage probed for cause of deadly Okla. blast", Mike Lee and Mike Soraghan, Jan. 24, 2018
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