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Do you know what is being done in your community to protect the citizens from crime? Do you have a crime-watch program? Is there a community website that lists the current investigations and events that may have recently occurred? Law enforcement officials can only do so much when it comes to protecting a community. If your community is not active in protecting itself, crime rates could rise and many residents could find themselves the target or victim of crimes. Visit my blog to find out what you can do as a community to lower crime rates and help the law enforcement officials do their jobs.

The Dangers of Oil Rigs & Your Rights

Law Blog

Working on an oil rig presents many dangers. The rig is pumping thousands of gallons of oil, which is highly flammable, from the depths of the ocean. At any point in time, there could be explosions, fires and toxic gases released into the station. Worst of all, there is no land for miles around and no boats for rescue. If you choose to work on an oil rig in the middle of an ocean, do you have any rights if you are injured? Let's take a look.

Injured by Faulty Equipment

In November of 1993, a diving bell used by an oil rig in the North Sea took two divers down into the depths of the ocean to perform standard repairs and maintenance. The divers had to spend their lives in a decompression chamber on the surface of the rig in order to avoid diving sicknesses. On this day, there was an accident that killed the divers and a few others working on the rig. It was discovered that the accident was the result of faulty equipment.

In April of 2010, the oil rig Deepwater Horizon exploded and spilled tons of oil into the ocean. The result was that eleven people went missing, several were badly injured. The cause was faulty cement around the well.

What do both of these incidents point to? Negligence on the part of the company that was responsible for the safe construction and use of these oil rigs and their components is the main legal issue. Could any of the survivors and the families of the survivors have sued over these incidents? Without a doubt, they absolutely could have sued, despite the dangers that their family members knew these things could happen.

Fires and Explosions

Oil rigs are pumping extremely flammable materials. It is quite common for these materials to catch fire and/or explode. If your worker's compensation, health insurance, disability insurance and other benefits do not cover all of the injuries you incur on the job, you may sue the oil company for more. The only way the oil company can avoid these actions is by having its rig workers sign waivers that state you will not sue in the event that your oil rig injuries exceed what your benefits will pay for.

Before you sign on to work an oil rig in the ocean, be sure to read all of your paperwork, that you understand what rights you have, and that you do not waive any rights in lieu of a long and healthy life.

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2 May 2017