DICKINSON, N.D. -This year’s second death in the oil fields is under investigation by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration.
An unnamed employee of C&D Oilfield Services was found dead on the catwalk of an oil well tank battery on Jan. 15, said OSHA area director Eric Brooks.
The employee was gauging the tank setup at a Denbury Resources well site between Dickinson and Manning.
Brooks said the cause of death is under investigation by the State Medical Examiner’s office.
Brooks said, in cases such as this, there is concern the death could be due to lethal exposure to the volatile organic compounds that escape from the contained oil. He said hydrogen sulfur gas is apparently not a culprit in this death.
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Brooks and staff are also continuing their investigation into the Jan. 14 death of Wes Herrmann, owner of Legendary Field Services, of Watford City. Herrmann died of burn injuries and another man was injured when a fire started on a heater-treater unit at a QEP Resources well site near Mandaree.
