Fatal Falls Among Oil Workers Analyzed

Falls are one of the leading causes of death in the U.S. oil and gas extraction industry, and 63 industry employees died in work-related falls from 2005 to 2014. An analysis by researchers from the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health found that most of the fatal falls occurred among derrick workers who were handling pipe, assembling the drilling rig at the well site, or dismantling the drilling rig in preparation for transport. The 63 fatal falls accounted for 15% of all fatal events during the period studied, according to the findings, published last month in Morbidity and...