Oil And Gas Industry Sees Spike In Wages, But Growth Comes With Cost

Ed Foulke was quoted in a Deseret News and Oil & Gas Journal article on April 9, 2014.

According to the articles, the number of new jobs in the oil and gas industry went up by 270,000 between 2003 and 2012, a whopping 92 percent increase compared with a 3 percent increase for all jobs during that time.

However, while an upswing in jobs is garnering attention to the oil and gas industry, one aspect that's overlooked is how dangerous the work is, according to the article.

Ed spoke to Oil & Gas Journal about work safety and oil field injuries, noting that from 2003-2010, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics found 823 gas extraction workers died on the job, a rate that's seven times higher than other industries.

“Most injuries involved new workers,” he said. “Forty-six percent involved people with less than a year on the job.”

Ed said that training is key, and called for more stringent safety measures and risk management.

Read more. Ed was also quoted in an article on Wickedlocal.com.