Head Injuries in Oil and Gas Industries: A Growing Impact
The prevalence and impact of head injuries in the oil and gas industry requires robust safety protocols and innovations in PPE to adequately safeguard vulnerable workers from severe risks.
- By Susan Silver
- Aug 01, 2024
Oil and gas industries are among the most hazardous sectors in the US, with a high rate of fatal and nonfatal injuries. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the oil and gas extraction industry had a fatality rate of 14.1 per 100,000 workers in 2019, more than five times higher than the average for all industries.
One of the most common and serious types of injuries in this sector is head injuries, which can result from falls, struck-by objects, explosions, fires, or exposure to toxic substances. Head injuries can have devastating consequences for workers and their families, affecting their physical, cognitive, emotional, and social functioning. In this article, we will explore the causes, effects, and trends of head injuries in oil and gas industries and provide some recommendations for prevention and safety.
Causes and Effects of Head Injuries in Oil & Gas
Head injuries can occur in various ways in oil and gas industries, depending on the nature of the work, the environment, and the equipment. Some of the common causes of head injuries are:
• Falls from heights, such as ladders, scaffolds, platforms, or roofs.
• Struck-by objects, such as pipes, tools, equipment, or vehicles.
• Explosions or fires, which can cause blunt force trauma, burns, or shrapnel wounds.
• Exposure to toxic substances, such as hydrogen sulfide, which can cause respiratory distress, loss of consciousness, or brain damage.
Head injuries can range from mild to severe, depending on the location, extent, and duration of the impact or exposure. Some of the common effects of head injuries are:
• Concussion, which is a mild traumatic brain injury that can cause headaches, dizziness, nausea, confusion, memory loss, or mood changes.
• Skull fracture, which is a break in the bone that surrounds the brain, and can cause bleeding, swelling, or infection.
• Brain contusion, which is a bruise on the brain tissue, and can cause seizures, coma, or permanent damage.
• Brain hemorrhage, which is bleeding in or around the brain, and can cause increased pressure, stroke, or death.
• Diffuse axonal injury, which is damage to the nerve fibers that connect different parts of the brain, and can cause cognitive impairment, motor dysfunction, or coma.
Trends and Statistics of Head Injuries
This article originally appeared in the July/August 2024 issue of Occupational Health & Safety.