I worked in the oil fields in the
mid-1950s, so I have some direct knowledge of what that work and
the workers were like — 15 years before OSHA was born.
I’m sure that all the facts in the article are true
(and I hate what all those rigs are doing to the land) but I
question some of the article’s conclusions (HCN, 4/2/07). I
would appreciate a follow-up article that puts the death and injury
rate in the energy fields into some perspective.
What is
the death rate in other comparable heavy industries where men run
immense and powerful machines, such as shipbuilding or
construction? When mistakes happen with those machines, it can take
only seconds for someone to get very badly hurt.
And what
are the rates of death for the same group of men when they are off
the job, where a big bad corporation or lax state regulation has no
responsibility for their injuries? I have seen oil workers take a
lot of risks, both on and off the job, and your article’s
mention of D.J. Maser Jr.’s black eyes that he got in a
fistfight, the Iriberrys not wearing seat belts, and the widespread
use of meth are all pretty good indications that these workers are
still risk-takers half a century after my personal experience.
Risk-takers tend to get hurt more often, whether on or off the job.
The statistics may be lousy there, too, but they would
offer some useful comparisons, and probably soften some of the
article’s conclusions and implications.
Steve Andreas
Boulder, Colorado
This article appeared in the print edition of the magazine with the headline Risky business.
Republish our articles for free, online or in print, under a Creative Commons license.
