Death on the Bakken shale | Fault Lines

Fault Lines investigates why so many North Dakota oil workers are dying-and who should be held responsible.
The U.S. is now the world’s largest oil and gas producer. That's in part because of what’s happening in North Dakota, where advances in fracking have unlocked crude oil in the Bakken shale formation in the western part of the state.
North Dakota is now producing more than a million barrels of oil a day. Ten years ago there were fewer than 200 oil-producing wells in the Bakken. Now there are more than 8,000.
The rapid pace of development has made North Dakota the state with the lowest unemployment rate in the nation, but the boom has brought with it a serious problem: It has the highest worker fatality rate in the nation.
Fault Lines spent six months investigating safety risks in North Dakota’s oil fields and uncovered a dark side to the boom-the human cost.
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[@johnborja84]

I was with Dustin in 29 Palms, and I ran into him at Doc Holidays in Williston a month before his accident. What a shame, because he really was a good dude. RIP brother

[@bamafan7353]

29 stumps sucked. Hated it out there. Only thing I liked was the old drive in movie theater

[@DIVISIONINCISION]

@@bamafan7353 California is much better than Alabama. You southerners needs to stay in the South if you think it's better than California.

[@JPTV3000]

I worked at Nabors when this happened I was 75ft away in the shop.

[@DIVISIONINCISION]

Which death?

[@wyoancap1900]

I worked in the Bakken for a hot minute and it was sketchy. Now I'm back in WY where we have a safety culture.

[@ostapbendervan7874]

some may call.that liberal funny how some Americans forgot what they stand for Could survive ONEDAY in Pinochet time

[@GraceEngineering]

The proper process for welding on a hot vessel is you hire a hot oiler (me) to steam out the tank with at least 10 to 20 barrels (420 to 840 gallons) of fresh water heated to 250 degrees. While the steam is being pumped in, a vac truck is sucking the condensed water out of the bottom of the tank. This heats the metal and opens the pores of the metal releasing trapped hydrocarbons from the metal. The steam helps carry the vapors out of the air and the vessel. After that step is done, the vessel is opened up and aired out. Then a gas monitor is used to "sniff" the air inside the vessel to ensure the safety of the vessel to the welder doing the work. I've also been a welder for more than 20 years.

[@AssociationMusic]

GraceEngineering with a confined space rescue team and breathing air trailers...

[@jacobfielding3626]

We can tell 😆

[@re2248]

Until the company doesn't want to pay for the steam out. Have seen it more than once in my 10 years. It's a miracle this hasn't happened more

[@ZachandBri7]

I’ve been in the oilfields for 13 years from Nodak to Texas and every state in between. Never have I seen and OSHA inspector not one time.

[@shaunboatmon2239]

I worked on a Rig out in the oil patch for 11yrs straight until one evening around 7 or 8pm we was pulling Rods and tubing to replace pump and the joint of tubing that had any holes when the packer J'D ON us with only 10 joints of tubing left well after trying to un J the packer for 20 plus minutes with no success our tool pusher told to pull as hard as possible to try and shear the j pins on the packer well once we sheard the pins and was able to start pulling pipe again on the 3rd joint of tubing after we freed the packer the tubing elevators opened right after we disconnected that joint of tubing from the pipe still in the hole and fell and crushed my whole right side missing my head by inches and hit my right shoulder smashing me between the power tongs and the joint of tubing I spent 4 months in the hospital and had 14 surgeries in tht time and then Ive had 8 more surgeries over A 3 yr period after I was realeased from hospital..And I actually love tht job and being out in the oil patch that I went back to work out there once I was able to cause when i made the decision to make it A career I knew the risks and dangers tht come hand in hand with working in the patch and stupid mistakes lead to stupid accidents tht could kill you or anyone else around you so constantly pay attention and if asked to do something tht Is completely stupid and extremely Dangerous Don't do A jobs a job and its not worth your life or the other hands lifes tht are out there with you .. So always remember you don't have to do anything your not comfortable doing and thts hella dangerous cause it's just a job you can always get another one but You only have 1 chance at life once thts over there is no reset or try again button you can push when you die your gone Forever !!!! R.I.P To All Of the fallen Oil patch workers around the world!!!!

[@DIVISIONINCISION]

So, the money is worth getting injured again, WHYTEBOI? 22 surgeries is more than I even want to think about.

[@ostapbendervan7874]

You gotta buy some SHARES dude..so many years love your insight

[@klardfarkus3891]

North Dakota has a state operated workers compensation fund. The fund is so pro business that they deny claims and benefits to keep rates so low it is cheaper for companies to just let them, get. Hurt or killed rather than make it safe. All about profits

[@M42KX]

Rich people don't care about worker's safety!

[@Yutani_Crayven]

Workers that are poorly educated/aren't educated about their rights don't either. Sad thing there's both in the US.

[@mercedescl]

***** But it's pretty obvious that you should never weld a flammable gas tank until you make sure all vapor is ventilated. That's almost like metal welding 101.

[@Yutani_Crayven]

mercedescl Yes but unless workers know what legal recourse they have in this case and that they can't get fired/lose money because of it etc if that's the case, then they don't "care" to protest strongly enough. That's what I meant.

[@mercedescl]

***** Under US labor laws, you can walk off from any jobs if you feel it is unsafe and file for wrongful dismissal if you get fired for it. If you value $30/ hr more than you life, then what more should I say?

[@Yutani_Crayven]

mercedescl Idk man, maybe that people aren't educated about the power of worker's rights and value profit because they genuinely think that they have no other choice, especially given the "dire nature of the economy". That's exactly the point I was trying to make though, that even though rich people individually have the hugest share of responsibility, power and negligent practices here, workers as a group are part of a solution as well.

[@captivesojourner]

As a trucker we have electronic logs which after watching this video makes me feel a bit of relief on the hauling side.

[@GraceEngineering]

Salt water is not a byproduct of fracking. It is a byproduct of normal oil production. Our continents float on salt water. Many old time wells that have never been fracked produce salt water along with oil and natural gas. You people should get your fracts straight. Yes. I said fracts. Your fracking facts.

[@barelyvisible1806]

I need to keep me a ‘receiving line’ excuse handy!

[@re2248]

Worked in the ND oil fields for 10 years. Was working at Power Fuels when those guys were exposed. I can say from my time there and being exposed myself the company didn't care about you. Their only worry was making money like all the others. Even giants like Baker Hughes could care less about safety. They talk a big game but in the end you're disposable and replaceable. People like Dustin and the other 39 in this story didn't have to die. Think hard and long about your family & loved ones before coming up here. Sometimes the money just isn't worth it and no one from the company to the state to the Federal government enforcing the laws will have your back. I got out of it for good 2 years ago.

[@yourfuneraldirector6432]

Having dealt with ND Workforce Safety Insurance, I have to tell you they are a joke. They deny almost ALL claims. You must go through appeals anbd they place the blame on the worker in most cases. Also you pretty much have to be dead to get any monetary relief. A death on the job has a cap payment of only $250,000. How's that supposed to help support the workers surviving spouse or children. They are the enemy of the ND Workforce.

[@ostapbendervan7874]

Deregulation kill the UNION never understood those low wage PEOPLE who SUPPORT trump he have done squat for them.billionaire tax cut this CANADIEN sold back SHARES to America billionaire. I did well dont worry poor get yours if reelected...

[@CrunkAintDead1996]

company's need to step safty up! I have had many close calls

[@unnamednewbie13]

This guy's really saying that dust makes an electric arm inferior to a hook? On what grounds.

[@edwardlomaseng9120]

Profit before humans lives.

[@pinkkitty9695]

These companies have so much money that paying 4 a cover up is a drop in the bucket 2 these mofos.

[@jamesjacksonll1798]

I'm sorry for there loose!

[@jadams736]

Olah from ND bakken 2021 definitely a dangerous place but you have to know your limits ultimate goal is to get home in one piece at the end of the day

[@ritamariekelley4077]

All the regulations designed to protect workers have been lobbied away, budgets cut for the last 40 years as more corporate greed has increased. Deaths and injuries to them are the cost of doing business.

[@tundrawomansays5067]

Yes, and some how “Union” became a dirty word and was replaced by the truly Orwellian “Right To Work” Laws. We can now consistently rely on the poor working class to reliably vote *AGAINST THEIR OWN BEST INTERESTS.* I can draw a straight line between the last forty years ago and today. Durable Goods use to actually BE, there were NO “extended warranties” period because the assumption was the product (what ever it was) WOULD last and you could actually purchase clothes that weren’t transparent, cheap and shoddily made by kids working for nothing in some third world country. I well remember when the US was a nation other country’s came to borrow FROM, and it was *never* a debtor country. Now it’s the most deeply indebted first world country-and most of the debt is owed to CHINA. And it alllll started with the revered St. Ronnie, the Patron Idiot Of Union Busting and “trickle down economics,” deregulating and gutting all the protections put in place to ensure this country would never suffer a Great Depression again. JFC, people...here’s your Republicans.....and two decades of war. If only 1% of the monies spent on prosecuting those unwinnable wars were spent here we’d have a whole lot less homelessness, hopelessness, hunger and idiots calling themselves “patriots” following a wanna be dictator and engaging in the most unpatriotic behavior such as the Insurrection on Jan. 6.-which simply proves we are getting dumber by the day. These “Patriots” should be given Bill Burr tickets on a couple of those cruise ships...

[@TheUnatuber]

Bakken our way into Hell.

[@limwang75]

Ur health is ur responsibility ur life > $$$$ ur life is priceless more important than money

[@matthewgreen8335]

That guy who cleaned the flowback tanks could have bought a respirator. Wouldn't have been completely effective but it might have saved his life.

[@russellloomis4376]

Why? When this is part of SAFETY! Man, that's on the Employer basic safety.

[@jamesjacksonll1798]

Ain't they ever heard poison crude

[@MariaDelgado-nu6jz]

Something is not right with this company

[@jamesjacksonll1798]

Even in the 70s an 80s no matter if it had held oil 10 /2 Saltwater fuel dripgas it was Steam cleaned one guy said I ain't waiting on the steamer they never found very much of him.

[@charlesware5767]

Soon comes the reckoning. God's hand will move against the evil.

[@TheDustysix]

Semper Fi.

[@DIVISIONINCISION]

Those two should have stayed in the military and/or used their VA benefits to go to college/trade school. VA benefits are great...

[@LisaJansen13]

THANK SENATOR JOHN HOEVEN & WSI

[@Mom_sBasement]

OSHA can only do so much. If you ignore regulations and training and common sense, that’s on you.

[@klardfarkus3891]

I am sure the osha officers spend their time in the bigger towns rather than driving around out in the oilfield

[@Mr9Guns]

Crazy. this kind of stuff doesn't fly in Canada. if you are an oil company and screw up here you get crucified.

[@dragnwebo3405]

Mr9Guns I've met people here in canada, that worked on oil wells with No safety training at all! Mostly in the use of chemical information, and safety in their uses. None at all!

[@Mr9Guns]

dragnweb O that's a dangerous game if OH&S catches them there is big fines and a shutdown. I know it does happen though.

[@dragnwebo3405]

Yeah I sure that's what we'd love to see. But facts are that the company they worked for knew nothing about handling the chemicals. And several staff were hospitalized. And it was the staff that made the info available for other staff, not the bosses. Subcontractors have all the responsibilities not the oil industry.

[@scottbishop2687]

Thank you Qatar, blessings be with you.

[@scottbishop2687]

Clear Wrongful death. OSHA should carry firearms and have body guards at this rate.

[@cantweallgetalong]

Al jazeera, Hmmmm? Now let's go see what stories they have on working conditions for immigrant workers in U.A.

[@nathanmarshall6318]

Lots of stories

[@Luke-id1cp]

I'm in the Bakken right now

[@russellloomis4376]

So how do you like it?

[@jellyjust4676]

There is allot of misinformation in the story, for One the welder is responsible for checking to ensure that the tank was safe to weld on, If they were serious on doing a proper story they should have checked the OSHA guidelines as well the API regulations and both state that the person or persons doing the work MUST verify that the work can be done safely, for example a guy a dated a few times opened the thieft hatch on a H2S tank with out a Scott pack and subsequently died from the decision to not use one, the rules are very clear but if you choose to ignore the rulez suffer the consequences of such.

[@garlandremingtoniii1338]

jelly just Correct you are. I have been working in the patch 26 years. In safety. I’m the VP of the HSE Dept for my company. We work in ND SD MT WY CO.

[@scottawful2094]

It looks so Awful in The winter and these guys have to work out in the elements, you’re going to take risks and make Shortcuts just to get out of the cold

[@rlandmand]

Not dangerus to clean tankers. just google what chemicals there are used for Fracking. There are a long list of chemicals there are highly toxic in any way you can think about for not talking about all those toxic and radioactive element there comes up of the ground along with the fluid.

[@75zk]

Investigate labour workers situation in the Middle East, particularly the Gulf nations starting with Qatar.

[@adiviz007]

Brother I am working in oil and gas industry in Qatar for last 10 years and I bet our safety record is the best in the industry and we are proud of it

[@ovoxo5793]

adiviz007 I've heard that there new more safer equipment than what the USA uses. all they care about here is just pumping out all the oil the fastest they can and hopely they don't blow up. I do agree the middle East has the safest oil pumping in the world

[@francisdoran8992]

@@ovoxo5793 we dont kill many people in the Canadian patch anymore either.

[@TomSmith-io9uk]

Where the heck is OSHA?

[@dubbedredundant668]

they are spread too thin for the amount of excavating companies there are?

[@JPTV3000]

Tom Smith every where

[@AltruisticWarrior]

Companies spread liability through subcontractors so it's incredibly difficult for OSHA to enforce anything.

[@Cheeseburger.Launch.Sequence]

Plus, OSHA doesn't actually have any real legal authority anymore.

[@LisaJansen13]

THESE FINES GO DOWN TO ABOUT 3% OF THE FINE..

[@ceruleanc505]

I believe that.

[@paulystp]

Pay someone enough money that will cut there hand off

[@ZachandBri7]

Sounds like H2S

[@timlewis9873]

They can vote the gov. out, whenever their in the mood.

[@lockefinely2841]

yeah and now eis surveys are overlooked , and causing probs with pipeline ., I don't know , I think you are done .

[@brinjoness3386]

poor governor dalyrimple.

[@fcotrpc1967]

America....the greatest country in the world for legalized corruption.

[@jamesjacksonll1798]

Common sense goes along way

[@ostapbendervan7874]

holy christ you can't weld fumes FILLED tanker..come on! see the pins in his lower legs. he was broken the pain .

[@maxcopus1]

❤️ vid

[@dieselscience]

The Bakken is VERY MUCH alive and well in 2017...more jobs than men to work them.

[@garlandremingtoniii1338]

dieselscience And it’s the same way here now. In June 2019

[@habeascorpus3644]

@@garlandremingtoniii1338 Still now?

[@DIVISIONINCISION]

@@garlandremingtoniii1338 Has the housing problem gotten better? Did they built more housing and apartments? What about crime and the prostitutes?

[@ostapbendervan7874]

sorry to say its over

[@ostapbendervan7874]

Franken party over

[@royaloakdetroitmi]

Organize!

[@musicguy20]

North Dakota scares me tbh. It has some feeling to it and people there are very racist. Especially if you are indigenous 😕 it’s sad oil companies have taken over and don’t care about people’s lives.

[@re2248]

People here are not racist. It's the people from other areas of the country that are. There, fixed it for you.

[@TungstenCarbideProjectile]

so go buy yourself ppe. if someone dies its just as much the persons fault for agreeing to go into a hazardous area like training yea but stupidity by the victim yea not a very good place to try and harass a governor

[@jeffreyjablowicz1200]

Thats why we need Unions.

[@jaxturner7288]

Darwin Award.

[@bryanlint9327]

Under the Trump administration OSHA probably loses employees.

[@cxrcraig3]

Your not making 200k sorry bud

[@DrPillihp]

cxrcraig3 actually yeah he is..I worked in North Dakota as an Drilling and Measurements Engineer making $250k a year. But guys like us work 90-120 hours a week for that money though...

[@cxrcraig3]

DrPillihp oh OK. That's alot hours cool cool

[@barelyvisible1806]

Not hardly. I’ll take his 120hrs a week. That’s 800$ per 40hrs of straight pay plus 80hrs at time and a half, or 2400 which added together equal 3200 per week. Multiply 3200 x 39weeks (3 weeks on with 1week off) you come up 124,800 yearly. The only thing worse than the taxes, truck stop meals and rooming expenses is that you’re practically living the life of a window plant. And still there’s no 250k

[@bryanlint9327]

These are all bullshitters .

[@420blackbirds8]

red states are fail states.

[@gmpick9793]

These are a bunch of BETA’s!