Poor housekeeping on an oilfield location can turn routine work into a serious injury event. Tools left on walking surfaces, unsecured equipment, spilled fluids, open passageways blocked by materials, leaking hoses, poorly stored chemicals, combustible debris, and...
Oilfield waste liquids can create serious fire and explosion hazards when they are transported, unloaded, washed out, or handled at disposal facilities. These materials may be described as waste, produced fluids, basic sediment and water, or E&P waste liquids, but...
Hot work around tanks, vessels, piping, and oilfield equipment can become deadly when flammable vapors are not identified before welding, cutting, grinding, or other spark-producing work begins. In oilfield operations, these hazards are common around crude oil tanks,...
A loss-of-containment incident at a Chevron well site in Lea County, New Mexico, on October 18, 2026, prompted a precautionary evacuation zone and an extended closure of County Road 1, also known as Orla Road. Lea County officials reported the incident occurred at...
Hot work is a routine part of oilfield operations, but it can become deadly when welding, cutting, grinding, or other spark-producing work is performed near hydrocarbons, vapors, tanks, piping, or other fuel sources. Oilfield workers may perform hot work during...
Hydraulic fracturing and flowback work can expose oilfield workers to a wide range of serious hazards. These jobs involve heavy equipment, high-pressure lines, chemicals, moving vehicles, pumps, manifolds, iron, tanks, hoses, and changing well conditions. Workers may...
On September 21, 2026, one worker was killed and another was seriously injured when a large truck tipped over while oilfield workers were setting up a tower at a drilling site on Moorefield Road south of FM 490 near McCook in Hidalgo County, Texas. According to the...
On September 18, 2026, a contractor was fatally injured during an incident at an MPLX natural gas midstream facility near Jal, New Mexico. Marathon Petroleum Corporation confirmed that the worker was performing work at the MPLX facility when he was injured. He was...
On October 6, 2026, two people were killed in an industrial accident involving a fire on an oilfield pipeline near U.S. Highway 176 and Bootleg Road in Lea County, New Mexico. According to the Lea County Sheriff’s Office, deputies were dispatched to the oilfield at...
Oilfield work is rarely performed by one company acting alone. A single jobsite may involve the lease operator, drilling contractor, service company, trucking company, flowback crew, crane operator, welding contractor, staffing company, safety consultant, equipment...