No matter where you work—in the oilfield, an offshore drilling platform, or at a plant or refinery—burns are one of the most devastating, painful, and costly injuries that workers experience while on the job.
Second and third degree burns cause deep tissue damage, requiring years of treatment and recovery. Yet even after receiving the best medical care available, far too many burn victims are left disfigured, permanently disabled, and unable to return to work and support their families.
Our Undefeated Burn Injury Lawyers have won Billions—including the Largest Oilfield Burn Settlement in U.S. History—for workers severely injured, catastrophically burned, or tragically killed in the worst industrial fires, explosions, and accidents in recent history.
It’s been our experience that burn injuries are entirely preventable and occur when companies fail to take necessary (and required) precautions to protect their workers and prevent fires and explosions from occurring in the workplace.
Who’s Most at Risk for Workplace Burn Injuries?
According to the U.S. Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA), more than 5,000 American workers are burned every year because of workplace explosions and fires. In most cases, these injuries occur in one of just a handful of industries:
- Plants and Refineries: The presence of volatile chemicals, electrical equipment, heavy machinery, and flammable materials make plant and refinery workers particularly vulnerable to burns. And while many of these injuries are sustained in connection with a fire or explosion, workers can also suffer chemical and thermal burns should their skin come in contact with hot surfaces or toxic substances.
- Oil and Gas Operations: From oilfields and offshore drilling rigs to pipelines and processing centers, workers in the oil and gas industry face a significant risk of burns from fires, explosions, and volatile chemicals and gases.
- Trucking: Fires and explosions are a major cause of burn injuries among truckers – especially those hauling hazardous materials — and other commercial drivers. Fuel tank punctures caused by rear-end collisions, sparks from shorted or severed wiring, and fluid leaks from damaged hoses or lines are common ignition sources. The occupants of other vehicles are also at risk for burns if they’re involved in a crash with a large truck or 18-wheeler.
- Construction: Construction workers face a high risk for burns because of the machinery and equipment they operate and the hazards typically present on a site. Temporary electrical set-ups, exploding pipes, stray sparks from welding, soldering, and grinding, and even the lithium-ion batteries used in many tools can trigger an explosion or fire on a construction site.
- Welding: Welders are at significant risk should even the tiniest spark go astray. In many cases, welders suffer burns around their hands that can jeopardize their ability to make a living. There have also been cases where sparks from a welding torch came into contact with volatile vapors or other flammable substances, triggering an explosion or fire that resulted in burn injuries to others on a job site.
- FoodsService: Those employed in the foodservice industry must typically work at a fast pace around scalding liquids, hot surfaces, and open flames. Crowded workspaces and poor kitchen layouts only increase the risk to workers.
Causes and Types of Workplace Burn Injuries
Burns can result from fires, explosions and even chemical exposure. Some of the most common causes of workplace burn injuries include:
- Exposure to fire and hot substances, including steam and heated liquids.
- Exposure to caustic chemicals in liquid, gas, or solid form.
- Exposure x-rays, sun lamps, U.V. lights, and other radiation sources.
- Exposure to wiring, lighting, and other electrical sources.
- Friction resulting from contact with roads and other hard surfaces.
Burn injuries can vary in type and severity. In general, the types of burns sustained in the workplace fall into one of four categories:
- Thermal or Scalding Burns: These burn injuries result from heat from liquids, hot objects, open flames, and explosions.
- Chemical Burns: Chemical burns occur when the skin comes in contact with a caustic chemical that destroys the skin and deeper tissue.
- Electrical Burns: These burns occur when an electrical current travels through the body and meets resistance in tissue.
- Sun Exposure Burns: Anyone who works outside is a risk from sun exposure. These burns can be quite severe and increase an individual’s risk of skin cancer later in life.
Any of the above burn types can be further classified according to their severity:
- First Degree Burns: These burns affect the top layer of the skin called the epidermis. The area is painful, red, and dry but will not blister. A mild sunburn is an example of a first-degree burn. They can be treated with aloe vera and other soothing skin creams, antibiotic ointments, and over-the-counter pain medications, such as ibuprofen or acetaminophen.
- Second Degree Burns: These burn injuries extend beneath the epidermis. The skin may become very red and sore and may blister. A second-degree burn may require an antibiotic cream or other creams or ointments prescribed by a doctor.
- Third Degree Burns: This type of burn destroys both the top and second layer of skin, as well as the underlying tissue. Third-degree burns require more invasive treatments, including IV antibiotics to prevent infection or IV fluids to replace fluids lost when the skin was burned. Victims may also need skin grafts or treatment with synthetic skin.
- Fourth Degree Burns: The most severe burn injury. All layers of skin are affected, along with underlying muscle, tendons, and bones. The treatment for a fourth-degree burn is similar to that of a third-degree burn. However, because skin grafts will not work on a fourth-degree burn, amputation may be necessary if the injury involves a limb or extremities.
Employers Must Take Steps to Prevent Work-Related Fires and Explosions
OSHA has established specific regulations and procedures to prevent burn injuries in the workplace:
Employees working near hot liquids, hot objects, open flames should be provided personal protective equipment to prevent thermal burns. Employers should also have a fire prevention plan and emergency action plans for fire detection and prevention.
Workers who come into contact with chemicals should undergo Hazard Communication training, which covers the symbols and labels that will communicate chemical risk. These labels also provide essential information on the steps workers can take to prevent burns if they come into contact with dangerous chemicals.
Construction workers and others at risk of electrical burns should know how to identify live wires and avoid contact with water while working with electricity. They should also be provided with the appropriate personal protective equipment.
Employees working under the sun should be encouraged to use sun-protective work clothing, hats, and sunscreen to reduce the risk of sun exposure burns. They should have an opportunity to take breaks in a shady area and access to plenty of water to avoid dehydration, heat exhaustion, and heatstroke.
An employer may be held legally accountable for a worker’s burn injuries if their failure to comply with OSHA regulations, industry standards, or company safety procedures caused or contributed to the employee’s burns. Even if the worker is partially at fault for his or her injuries, they can still recover from the other companies that contributed to their injuries through a personal injury lawsuit.
What to do if You’re Burned at Work
If you or someone you love were burned on the job, you should assume that your employer is already acting to avoid responsibility and limit your financial recovery to workers’ compensation benefits. If you don’t act just as quickly to protect your rights, there’s a good chance you and your family will never receive full compensation for all of your injuries and losses:
- Go to the ER and Insist on the Medical Care of Your Choice: Even if you don’t think the burn is severe, a visit to the E.R. ensures the injury is documented promptly. If you do require additional treatment, you have the right to demand follow-up medical care with the healthcare provider of YOUR CHOICE. You are under no obligation to see doctors and specialists chosen and paid for by your employer or their insurance company.
- Make a Record of the Incident: As soon as you are able, write down or record everything you remember about the incident that resulted in your burn injury, including the names and phone numbers of anyone else who witnessed the incident.
- Preserve Physical Evidence: Preserve the clothing you were wearing and any other physical evidence in your position. Don’t wash any of these items, but do store them in a clean plastic bag as soon as possible.
- Don’t Trust Your Employer: No matter how much they promise to “make things right” and “take care of you,” your employer and its insurance company are only interested in avoiding responsibility for your injuries, blaming you and your co-workers, and limiting your financial recovery to workers compensation.
- Don’t Sign Anything or Make a Recorded Statement: Whatever you do, do not give your employer or their insurer a recorded statement, sign ANY paperwork, or accept any money from the company (other than your regular paycheck) before speaking with an experienced personal injury lawyer who has successfully represented injured workers, both in and out of the courtroom.
- Comply with All Medical Advice: Missing doctors’ appointments and failing to follow medical advice will only provide your employer with an excuse (no matter how flimsy) to downplay your injuries and deny your valid claims. Also, make sure to keep a written record of your care, including co-pays and the cost of any prescription medications and medical supplies related to your treatment.
- Contact an Experienced Burn Injury Lawyer To avoid costly mistakes, it’s critical that you contact an attorney who has the experience and resources to take on the biggest companies in the world, knows how to locate and preserve evidence you need to prove your employer was at fault, and won’t hesitate to go to trial when the company refuses to fully compensate you and your family for all your injuries and damages.
Undefeated Burn Injury Lawyers with Billions Won: Call 1-888-603-3636 or Click Here for a Free Consultation.
In addition to being Undefeated, our Experienced Burn Injury Lawyers have won Billions – including the #1 Largest Oilfield Burn Injury Settlement in US History – for burn victims and their families in Texas, Louisiana, New Mexico, and across the United States.
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