West Texas Explosion Kills 2 Starr County Men
Two men from Rio Grande City were killed on October 7 in an explosion at a gas plant in Pecos, Texas. Workplace deaths aren’t common in most industries, but some workers are especially at risk.
Learn about the accident and facts about workplace injuries from the team at Villalobos Law Firm, your McAllen workplace injury lawyers.
The Workplace Accident
Two employees of a gas plant in West Texas were killed on Saturday, October 7, in a gas explosion. The Pecos Police Department and Pecos Emergency Services responded to the accident at around 10:14 a.m.
The explosion happened at a work site at 631 W 1-20 in Pecos. Upon arriving on the scene, emergency services found evidence of an explosion but no active fires.
The two men killed in the explosion were 57 and 30 years old. Six other gas plant employees were present at the time of the explosion, but all refused medical treatment.
The cause of the explosion remains under investigation by authorities.
How Common Are Fatal Workplace Injuries in Texas?
Thankfully, Texas doesn’t fall high on the list of states that see the most workplace deaths. The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) records data on the number and characteristics of workplace fatalities in each state in the country, including Texas. In 2021, the most recent year reported, there were a total of 553 fatal workplace accidents in all of Texas. That’s roughly one workplace death for every 28,000 people employed in Texas. In comparison, Wyoming, which saw the most workplace deaths, had a rate of one workplace fatality for roughly every 10,000 workers.
Which Workers Are Most at Risk of Fatal Workplace Injury?
Reviewing the BLS records reveals some startling truths about fatal workplace injuries. Some groups were far more likely to be the victims of fatal job accidents than others. Check out the facts below:
- 92% of those who died in Texas workplace accidents in 2021 were men.
- Workers in transportation and material moving saw the most deaths at 36% while construction and extraction workers saw the second highest number of deaths at 22%.
- Hispanic workers made up 43% of those killed, and White, non-Hispanic workers made up another 40%.
- 25% of those killed were between the ages of 64 and 55, 20% were between 54 and 45, 20% were between 44 and 35, and just under 20% were between 34 and 25.
As you can see, some occupations may be more dangerous than others, and those occupations tend to be filled by certain groups, specifically White and Hispanic men between the ages of 25 and 64.
If you’re a worker in one of these industries, be sure to familiarize yourself with your rights in case of a workplace injury. A McAllen workplace injury attorney can tell you more.
