With 18 refineries handling over three million barrels of crude oil every day, Louisiana has the nation’s second largest petroleum-refining capacity. ExxonMobil’s refinery in Baton Rouge is the fourth-largest refinery in the country, employing over 4,000 workers. Marathon’s refinery in Garyville is even bigger. While this industry is vital to our state’s economy, workers at these refineries face serious risks of injury every day. If you or a loved one is injured on the job in a refinery, our industrial accident attorney may be able to help you recover the money you will need for medical treatment and lost wages.
Who Is Liable If You Are Injured?
Under Louisiana law, oil refineries must carry workers’ compensation insurance to cover their employees if they are injured on the job. However, if you are a contract worker, you may not be covered by workers’ comp. Even for employees, there are times when an accident is caused by a third party—a sub-contractor, delivery driver, supplier, or manufacturer—making that party liable for compensating you. In these cases, you will need the help of an industrial accident attorney to sue the liable party for the damages you deserve.
Common Oil Refinery Accidents
Major oil refinery accidents make national headlines, but minor accidents that injure workers happen every day. Accidents that can happen at an oil refinery include the following:
- Fires and explosions. Working with volatile materials makes the risk of a fire or explosion very real. Faulty equipment and human error are most often to blame for fires and explosions in oil refineries.
- Chemical spills and gas leaks. When toxic chemicals or fumes are released, workers can be burned or poisoned by exposure. These accidents are also caused by poorly maintained equipment and careless workers.
- Falls. The leading cause of injury across all industries, workers in refineries can trip over debris, slip on dangerous surfaces, and fall over faulty railings and suffer broken bones, head injuries, and soft-tissue injuries that can make them unable to work for weeks.
- Crushing accidents. Like in any industrial plant, workers in refineries share their workspace with forklifts and other heavy equipment that can crush the operator or a bystander when it is defective or mismanaged.
No matter how you are injured in an oil refinery, you deserve to be compensated for your losses.
Contact Bianca | Matkins for Help
As Baton Rouge attorneys, the legal team at Bianca | Matkins understand the dangers of working in an oil refinery. We also understand that determining who is liable for your damages can be complicated. Don’t waste time trying to settle your work injury claim on your own. Call us for help right away. We offer ASL interpretation for Deaf clients.
