Texas is rich with oil, which provides residents with opportunities to gain profitable employment. Unfortunately, working in this industry also poses a risk of acquiring severe injuries. Such injuries can leave victims unable to work on a short- or long-term basis.
According to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), the oil and gas extraction industry poses the following injury hazards to its workforce.
- Collisions between work vehicles
- Falling from elevated heights
- Injury hazards associated with machines or equipment
- Getting struck by objects
- Getting caught in between equipment
- Working with high-pressure lines
- Fires and explosions
- Hazards caused by electrical and other sources of energy
As you might imagine, suffering severe injuries in incidents like those listed above can result in lifelong medical and financial hardships. In the state of Texas, employers are not legally required to provide workers’ compensation insurance. This means that many employees who have suffered severe injuries while working are left out in the cold in terms of compensation and other benefits.
Even if your oil and gas employer does have workers’ compensation insurance, there is no guarantee that your claim will be approved. A denied claim will leave you without much in the way of financial options in the aftermath of severe injuries.
What can you do to make your situation better? Fortunately, there are several ways the law can help if you have trouble acquiring compensation. In the case of workers’ comp claim denials, an attorney can guide you through the process of appealing the decision.