A spotlight on safety comes after three industrial accidents claim the lives of three men, all in Midland County, over the past month.
On December 14th, a crane toppled over, killing a worker at a Bison Trucking site. On Monday, a chemical explosion left a worker dead near East County Road 1140. Then Thursday, a piece of oil-field equipment fell, striking a worker on Highway 80.
Troy Moore with DXP Safety Services in Odessa said the recent oil layoffs could be a reason why these deadly accidents keep happening.
“We don’t want to have a serious injury or even death,” Moore said. “That’s the worst thing you would ever want to see, is somebody get hurt.”
The triple tragedy caught Moore’s attention.
“Everybody wants to see their loved ones go home exactly the way they go to work, with all their fingers, their toes and in perfect health,” said Moore.
Moore said recent oil-field layoffs could be a factor, leaving tall orders for short staffs.
“You don’t want to take a shortcut, because how important is somebody’s life,” Moore said. “Safety, according to somebody’s life, is a miniscule amount of money because a person’s life is irreplaceable.”
Phillip Cervera has spent the past five years with an industrial company in Midland Thankfully, he’s yet to experience anything close to a deadly disaster.
“It’s almost like you don’t even think about it, because it hasn’t happened,” Cervera said. “But then again, you’re still aware, like ok you’ve got to be safe when it comes to certain things.”
Cervera said hearing about the three deadly accidents in Midland County has prompted him to be extra cautious while on the clock.
“When you see things like that, it’s almost like a learning thing,” Cervera said. “Ok what was he doing? Ok he was doing it this way. I’m not going to do it that way.”
With these deadly accidents happening more often lately, Moore wouldn’t be surprised if they continue to happen while they ride out the oil layoffs.
(Information from YourBasin.com)
