Oil worker killed, another injured at Midstates Petroleum drill site near Dacoma, Oklahoma

 

JULY 24, 2015

ENID, Okla. — A fatality accident occurred at an oil rig this week in Woods County following an oilfield incident the previous week.
The fatality occurred Thursday in Woods County involving a petroleum work rig, confirmed Diana Patterson, a spokesperson with the U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration.

The Alva Police Department said the closest intersection to the incident is County Road 470 and Craig Road. The call for the accident was received at 11:17 a.m., but the department did not released the identity of the individual nor the company involved.  We later found out that it was a Midstates Petroleum drill site.
Patterson would not release details of the incident, including who was involved or the location, simply stating the incident is under investigation. The Woods County Sheriff's Office also said the incident is under investigation but would not provide more details.

Luke Johnson

 24 July 2015

A worker was killed and another was injured this week at a Midstates Petroleum drilling site in north-western Oklahoma, the operator has confirmed. 

The incident occurred around 11:15 on Thursday morning near the town of Dacoma in Woods County. 

"Two individuals suffered injuries in the incident. One individual involved sustained fatal injuries and one is currently receiving medical care," the Tulsa-headquartered company said in a statement.

A spokesman added that the injured were "outside contractors doing work on one of our locations".

He declined to provide any more details about what was happening at the site at the time of the injuries or the nature of the injuries. He did not comment when asked if there was a drilling rig running on site.

"Following the incident, the area was secured and a complete investigation of the incident is underway," the statement said. "Our thoughts and prayers are with the individuals involved and their families."

The Woods County Sheriff's Office declined to comment because an investigation is ongoing. The medical examiner that serves Woods County was not immediately available for comment. 

The US Occupational Safety & Health Administration is also investigating, but provided no details on what happened.

Thursday's incident comes just over a week after another pair of workers were injured at a separate Midstates site in Woods County.

In that incident, a Midstates consultant and an employee of Felderhoff Drilling Company were injured when they were struck on the head by a pipe, according to reports.

The pipe was on a forklift and slipped from its strap as it was being lowered, striking the men on the head. 

Dobbs remained in critical condition Friday, a hospital spokesman said. Loebig has been discharged.

The safety incidents come at an awkward time for Midstates, a company focused on production from the Mississippi Lime in Oklahoma and the Anadarko basin in the Texas Panhandle. 

The New York Stock Exchange has issued the company a second de-listing notice in three months, as its stock has wallowed in the sub-$1 range for a period approaching 30 consecutive days. It was also warned in April.

The company is planning a 1-for-10 reverse stock split starting on 3 August.
Its shares were at 52 cents on Friday afternoon, which was a 12.36% increase from Thursday's close.