Tracking Oil Spill Workers’ Health
The Feds are observing those who cleaned the Gulf oil spill to see if the job affected their health. This study is being performed by the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences because some workers have experienced headaches, chest pain, and respiratory problems as a result of working with oil. This tracking of 55,000 oil cleanup workers is being funded $8M by the government and $6M by BP PLC for 10 years. It is the largest oil spill health effect study. Observers are looking for anything ranging from rashes to respiratory difficulties, to links to cancer. BP’s oil rig exploded and discharged about 4.1M gallons into the Gulf Sea in April and was not sealed until July. There were at least 47,000 workers trying to clean the catastrophe; removing oil from the shore, skimming or burning the oil in the water, managing boats by the oil rig. An estimated 7,000 workers were in contact with the oil each day. BP is financing the study from a $500M fund for research on the spill. The study’s results may affect BP’s expenses for the spill for the harm it caused to workers and the environment. The study will try to discover whether the spill alone caused health problems or if other factors such as pollution in the area caused these health risks.
Hopefully this study will help lower dangers and risks for future oil cleanups. The debt and repercussions of the BP’s safety and procedural negligence will last for many years following the event. Adhering to OSHA standards is important and should not be forgotten as a priority. There are agencies in New York and New Jersey to help your business evaluate your risks and find solutions to mitigate potential dangers and events. Business insurance and risk management agencies can help manage your finances by viewing your workers comp insurance policy, and business general liability coverage.