OSHA investigating oil field death near Parshall

PARSHALL, N.D. – The Occupational Safety and Health Administration is investigating a man found dead early Thursday morning that was reported by Key Energy Services.

Few details were available Thursday because the OSHA investigators remained on site, said Eric Brooks, assistant director for the Bismarck Area OSHA Office.

Key Energy Services reported that a man was found dead about 4:30 a.m. Thursday.

Brooks said he doesn’t believe the death was related to an explosion or an incident at a rig.

“If it would have been an explosion, we would have heard about it,” Brooks said.

He did not know the rig number, but said it was about five miles from Parshall. Parshall is about 60 miles southwest of Minot.

Additional information is expected to be available Friday.

Calls to Key Energy Services media relations and the Mountrail County sheriff were not immediately returned.

Since Oct. 1, this is the fourth fatality in North Dakota’s oil and gas industry that OSHA has investigated, Brooks said.

During the previous fiscal year that ended Sept. 30, OSHA investigated seven fatalities in North Dakota’s oil and gas industry out of a total of 14 workplace deaths, he said.

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