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Gulf of Mexico Ship Crash Caused by Pilot Fatigue...
Posted on 10/15/2011
Longshoreman Killed in Second Philadelphia Port Accident in Two Weeks...
Posted on 9/10/2011
Gulf of Mexico Seaman Killed in Offshore Crane Accident...
Posted on 9/4/2011
Drunken Captain Accused; Two Galveston Area Seamen Thrown Overboard...
Posted on 7/31/2011
Fourteen Barges Hit New Orleans Levee...
Posted on 6/25/2011

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Important Information About Asbestos Offshore

Did you know that during the 1960s, 1970s, and even 1980s asbestos fibers were used in drilling mud on offshore oil rigs. Some of these products were pure asbestos fibers that workers were required to add directly to drilling mud in order to achieve two benefits. First, asbestos serves as a fire retardant material. More importantly, asbestos served as a thickening agent or bonding agent with the drilling mud. This allowed the offshore oil rigs to operate with a thicker type of drilling mud since asbestos had been added to the drilling mud.

Unfortunately most workers who worked around the asbestos products and drilling mud additives were not provided with proper safety equipment including breathing masks. During the 1970s OSHA began to heavily regulate the use of asbestos at workplaces. Amazingly offshore oil companies took the position that since OSHA did not apply to offshore rigs and drilling barges, the drilling industry including many maritime companies did not have to follow the new OSHA regulations. This needlessly exposed more Jones Act and Maritime workers to the dangers of asbestos throughout the late 1970s and early 1980s.

If you worked offshore from the 1960s through the mid-1980s, it is very likely that you were exposed to asbestos especially if you worked in the mud shack, mud room or directly around the drilling mud. Contact our office to speak with a Jones Act lawyer regarding any past asbestos exposure that you may have experienced while working on an offshore drilling rig or a drilling barge. You can also view our Jones Act Asbestos information site here. The Jones Act and Maritime Law protect you and we can discuss your rights with you.