On August 10, 2016, Pacific Gas & Electric Co. was found guilty by a California federal court jury of criminal activity for violating pipeline safety standards in a 2010 gas line explosion that killed eight people, injured many others, and caused widespread property damage. The company was also convicted of obstructing a subsequent federal investigation … Continued
The federal agency that regulates oil and gas pipelines has proposed to fine one of the Williams companies $1.6 million dollars for its violations of federal regulations that caused an October 2015 explosion at a gas compressor stations in Louisiana. The U.S. Department of Transportation’s investigation revealed numerous violations of federal pipeline safety regulations in … Continued
An oilfield worker was killed on an oil rig near Midwest, Wyoming on July 14, 2016. According to the initial investigation, Dennis McCulloch fell 76 feet from a workover rig and died instantly. Mr. McCulloch was 28 years old at the time of his death and was a resident of Casper, Wyoming. He worked for … Continued
An oilfield worker was killed on an oil rig near Gillette, Wyoming on July 7, 2016. According to the initial investigation, the rig partially collapsed, crushing 26 year-old Joshua Adams. Mr. Adams was working for Basic Energy Services, a Texas company. The circumstances of the tragic death are still being investigated. As oil and gas drilling … Continued
Three Workers Burned and Two Killed in Separate Oilfield Tragedies Three workers were burned and one was killed when a wellsite operated by XTO Energy exploded, engulfing the rig and the workers in a devastating fire. The explosion occurred on June 18, 2016 at the XTO wellsite outside of Watford City, North Dakota. One of … Continued
In October, 2011, a tanker truck driver working in the Bakken suffered severe burns over more than 30% of his body when a water tank at a gas processing plant exploded into a massive fireball. The burns left the driver permanently disfigured and totally disabled from future employment. After three years of litigation, as reported … Continued
A contractor was killed at a coal mine in the Powder River Basin in Wyoming on September 1, 2011, according to an article in the Casper Star-Tribune. The death occurred at the North Antelope Rochelle Mine which is owned by Peabody Energy of St. Louis, Missouri. The individual who died was an employee of Weston Engineering, a … Continued