In 14 months, four men have died while working in the oil fields on the North Slope. Before that, there hadn't been a death for about five years.
A water truck and blade add layers of ice chips and water to an ice road near a flow line on the Western North Slope in 2017. Before that, the area hadn’t seen a death in about five years, according to Anchorage Daily News reporter Alex DeMarban.
DeMarban has covered the oil and gas industry for years, and said it’s unclear what to attribute to the recent spike in deaths. However, he said a lack of information from local, state and federal officials has left many with more questions than answers. We’re talking about, you know, the North Slope, near the Arctic Ocean, of Alaska. So we’re talking about extremely cold weather and windy weather, uncomfortable conditions, and also a unique environment that involves things like ice roads and snow and massive equipment. So it’s possible that this is just an unusual series of accidents. It’s also possible that something larger is going on.
And I’m understanding also that the families themselves don’t always have a lot of information in a very expedient way in these cases. So I think that that lack of information is also a disservice to preventing future accidents.
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
4 men have died in Alaska’s North Slope oil fields in just over a yearBefore the recent string of workplace fatalities, there had not been a death in the area since 2018.
Read more »
North Slope Borough backs state agency’s financing of first methanol plant in U.S. ArcticThe founder of the Alyeschem project, planned for Prudhoe Bay over the next few years, says it could advance economic development and decrease emissions in the region.
Read more »
‘Just a normal Alaskan boy’: Family remembers man who died in North Slope construction incidentThe construction worker who died in a workplace incident on the North Slope on June 5 has been identified as 23-year-old Adam Trujillo of Soldotna. According to Trujillo’s father, Jim Trujillo, Adam was working for Chosen Construction Inc. as a welder’s helper while attending classes at Kenai Peninsula College.
Read more »
‘Just a normal Alaskan boy’: Family remembers man who died in North Slope construction incidentThe construction worker who died in a workplace incident on the North Slope on June 5 has been identified as 23-year-old Adam Trujillo of Soldotna. His father remembered his only son as his family grieves his loss.
Read more »
The Biden Administration Must Act to Stop Alaska’s North Slope ‘Carbon Bomb’Kay Brown currently serves as Arctic Policy Director for Pacific Environment based in Anchorage. She is a former Director of Oil and Gas for the State of Alaska and a former Alaska State Representative.
Read more »
Construction worker dies in North Slope incidentA construction company worked was killed in a workplace incident Wednesday on Alaska’s North Slope, according to officials with Hilcorp and the Alaska Occupational Safety and Health Administration.
Read more »