NEW TOWN, N.D. (AP) - WPX Energy and Easton Health and Safety Solutions say air medical services are the best response to emergencies in the remote oil fields of western North Dakota.
Easton President Troy Easton says it can take hours for ambulances to get workers injured in the oil field to hospitals. But helicopters take an average of 24 minutes to reach WPX’s sites on the Fort Berthold Indian Reservation.
Through Easton, WPX employees can request helicopters carrying paramedics without first waiting for an ambulance to arrive and assess the situation. They say such services will help prevent workplace fatalities and hope it will become the industry standard.
AFL-CIO says North Dakota had the highest worker death rate in the oil, gas and mining sector in 2012, with 104 deaths per 100,000 workers.
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