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OSHA did pursue an investigation, finding Fabian’s employer – Diversified Oil Field Services – guilty of eight
serious safety violations, fining the company $28,000.
Such fines, however, are not sufficient to rein in the hazards common in this deadly industry. The recent drop in oil
prices has prompted widespread cost cutting, says the Journal, leading to “grueling 12-hour shifts for as many as
20 days in a row.”
According to the Chronicle, since OSHA is only required to investigate accidents that are fatal and/or require
hospitalization, many unsafe practices continue until irrevocable tragedies occur.
The Chronicle article points out that in the hierarchy of oilfield work, it is the youngest workers that get assigned
the most dangerous jobs. Fabian Martinez was 21 – too young to be exposed to such hazards, too young to make
his mark on the world, and too young to die.
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