Theo Colborn dissects what “oil patch” jobs really look like.
The contrast between the feel-good nature of [gas industry] ads and the reality of many of the jobs they tout is also stunning. There are jobs available, yes, but most of the workers in the gas fields are low-paid laborers who have no job security, no health benefits, no unions and no recourse against industry abuses.
These workers are not protected under the Federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration because they do not work inside buildings or in a deep hole in the ground. They are just now getting some attention from the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health –– a good thing, because injured workers who have become so incapacitated that they will never again be able to hold down a job are routinely denied workers’ compensation. Those who get sick are generally unable to prove it’s because they were exposed to something on the job. (Read more….)
