Oil Rig Worker Injuries – The Outer Continental Shelf Act - OWCP Assistance

Many oil rig workers who are injured go without compensation because they are not aware of the specific laws set in place to protect them. The Longshore and Harbor Workers’ Compensation Act is a federal act designed to cover employees traditionally associated with maritime employment, including fixed oil rig platform workers. If you or a loved one has suffered a jack-up, drilling, platform, boat/vessel, diver, or helicopter injury while working at a fixed oil rig, you may be able to recover Office of Workers' Compensation (OWCP) assistance. Besides medical benefits, claimants will receive a significant percentage of their salary while on disability. Oil rig workers on the continental shelf of the Gulf of Mexico and elsewhere may also be benefited by the Outer Continental Shelf Act, which protects workers on the outer continental shelf from unreasonable danger such as blowouts, fires, and spillage.

• Demand Justice for Your Oil Rig Injury
• Your Rights under the Outer Continental Shelf Act
• Contact the Law Office of Robert W. Nizich

Demand Justice for Your Oil Rig Injury

Employers have a responsibility to their workers and under the law to minimize safety hazards at work, especially in an already dangerous working environment such as an oil rig. Unfortunately, many times this responsibility is ignored. Helicopters and vessels may crash due to a captain’s negligence. Equipment can fail and injure workers because of preventable factors such as poor installation or maintenance. Loading and unloading cargo can result in serious disability if precautions are not taken to ensure that the work is done safely. The Longshore and Harbor Workers’ Compensation Act and the Outer Continental Shelf Act are intended to ensure safety and protect employees from negligence. The OWCP offers financial assistance to oil rig workers and families burdened with medical bills and emotional trauma directly resulting from unnecessarily dangerous working conditions. Common oil rig worker injuries which may indicate employer negligence include:

• Burns from oil rig explosions and gas leaks
• Head injury from falling debris
• Severed limbs from pipes or equipment
• Broken bones from pipes or equipment
• Toxic chemical exposure
• Deafness due to oil rig equipment noise
• Fatigue due to long shifts
• Injuries sustained in transport such as helicopter and boat/vessel crashes
• Wrongful death

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Your Rights under the Outer Continental Shelf Act

Oil rig workers who are injured on the job are entitled to OWCP assistance under the Outer Continental Shelf Act. This Act provides compensation for the death, injury, or disability of any employee performing work connected with the exploration, development, removal, or transportation of resources from the seabed and subsoil of the outer continental shelf. The Outer Continental Shelf Act ensures wage compensation, medical care, and employment rehabilitation for the previously unprotected employees who work in navigable waters by including them in the Longshore and Harbor Workers’ Compensation Act. Now oil rig workers who are injured or contract a disease because of unsafe working conditions may receive OWCP assistance as other employees do.

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Contact the Law Office of Robert W. Nizich

Oil rig accidents can be confusing for workers and workers’ families seeking justice because different laws apply to oil rigs depending on whether the rigs are fixed to the ocean floor or movable. Attorneys unfamiliar with the laws in question may not fully understand the specificity and complexity of the law in regards to workers' compensation cases which occur in navigable waters. If the accident occurred on an offshore oil rig that could be towed, it is categorized under maritime law. Because maritime law has a short statute of limitations, waiting to contact an attorney may result in a failure to receive OWCP assistance. The law has determined that those suffering injury because of oil rig companies’ unsafe practices deserve to be compensated. Please contact OWCP attorney Robert W. Nizich as quickly as possible to be protected as the law demands.