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Compensation for Hydrogen Sulfide (H2S) Exposure Injuries
Houston H2S Exposure Lawyers
Hydrogen sulfide kills faster than almost any hazard in the oil and gas industry.
It does it in the one place the monitors and the rescue plan were supposed to catch it first.
A worker overcome by H2S can collapse in seconds, and the ones who survive often carry permanent brain and lung damage.
When an exposure happened because the gas was not monitored or the rescue was not ready, Texas law lets the worker recover the full cost from the companies responsible.
Lawsuit Legal works from our Houston office and represents workers exposed to H2S at refineries, plants, and sour-gas oilfields across Texas and the Gulf Coast.
Our Texas cases are led by personal injury attorney Don Worley, licensed by the State Bar of Texas, with more than 40,000 cases handled and over $100 million recovered for injury victims.
When the companies and their insurers will not pay what a claim is worth, our trial-ready attorneys are prepared to take it to a Texas jury.
Call (888) 713-6653 for a free, confidential review of your H2S exposure claim. You Win or It's Free.
At-a-Glance: Why Hydrogen Sulfide Is So Dangerous
- Toxic at low concentrations and rapidly fatal at higher ones
- Deadens the sense of smell, so the rotten-egg odor disappears as the danger rises
- Heavier than air, so it pools in low and confined spaces
- Flammable, adding fire and explosion risk to the toxic risk
- Can cause collapse, or knockdown, within seconds of a high-concentration breath
- Deadly to would-be rescuers, who become the second and third victims
Where H2S Exposures Happen
- Sour-gas oil and gas wells and tank batteries
- Refineries and desulfurization units along the Ship Channel
- Confined spaces such as vessels, tanks, and pits
- Wastewater, sewer, and treatment operations
- Marine, barge, and dock work moving sour product
What Hydrogen Sulfide Does to the Body
Hydrogen sulfide does not hurt the body the way a fall or a blast does. It poisons the cells' ability to use oxygen, which is why a single breath at a high concentration can drop a worker where he stands. The damage depends on the dose and the time, and it ranges from temporary to permanent to fatal.
- Knockdown and sudden collapse. A high-concentration breath can cause near-instant loss of consciousness, and without immediate rescue it becomes fatal.
- Respiratory injury. H2S inflames the airway and can cause chemical pneumonitis and pulmonary edema, a dangerous buildup of fluid in the lungs that can develop hours later.
- Neurological and cognitive damage. Survivors of a serious exposure often have lasting memory, concentration, and balance problems, a pattern of brain injury from oxygen deprivation.
- Cardiac effects. The stress on the body during a severe exposure can trigger heart rhythm problems and cardiac arrest.
- Eye and skin irritation. Lower exposures cause burning eyes, irritation, headache, and nausea that can warn of a worsening atmosphere.
- Death. H2S is among the leading causes of sudden chemical-exposure death in the energy industry.
Because the worst effects can appear hours after the exposure, every H2S incident is a medical emergency even when the worker seems to recover at the scene.
The cruel part of hydrogen sulfide is that it takes away the warning it gives you. At low levels you smell it, but as the air turns deadly it deadens the nerve that lets you smell it at all, so a worker stops noticing exactly when he should be running. That is why the monitor, not the nose, is supposed to be the alarm.
Why H2S Exposures Are Almost Always Preventable
The oil and gas industry has known about hydrogen sulfide for over a century, and the safeguards are well established. An exposure almost always means one of them was missing.[1]
- No monitoring. Personal H2S monitors and fixed gas detectors are supposed to alarm before the air turns deadly. A missing, broken, or uncalibrated monitor is a direct cause of exposure.
- No H2S contingency plan. Sites with sour gas are expected to have a written H2S plan covering detection, evacuation, wind direction, and muster points.
- No respiratory protection. Workers in H2S areas need escape respirators or supplied-air breathing equipment within reach, not back at the truck.
- No rescue plan. Many H2S deaths are would-be rescuers who rushed in without air. A real rescue plan and trained responders prevent the second and third casualty.
- No training. Workers and contractors in sour-gas areas are supposed to be trained to recognize H2S and respond, and untrained crews are exposed crews.
An H2S case usually comes down to a small piece of equipment that was supposed to be there and was not, or was there and did not work. A working monitor is the difference between an alarm and a funeral, and when the detection failed, that is where the case is.
Who Is Liable for an H2S Exposure
An H2S exposure on a Texas worksite usually involves more than the injured worker's employer. The companies that controlled the gas, the detection, and the rescue all share the duty to prevent it.
The operator or plant owner. The company that runs the well or facility controls the sour-gas process, the fixed detection system, and the site safety plan, and it can be liable to an injured contractor.
Contractors and service companies. The contractor running the job owes a duty to monitor the air, equip its crew, and have a rescue plan, and a failure there is a claim against that company.
Equipment manufacturers. A gas monitor, detector, or breathing apparatus that failed to work as designed can support a product-liability claim.
The injured worker's own employer. Many energy and industrial employers are non-subscribers that opted out of workers' compensation. A non-subscriber can be sued directly for negligence with no damage cap, and it loses the defenses a normal employer would have.[2]
Because the exposed worker is so often a contractor, several of these companies are usually third parties you can pursue in full, the same liability map that drives our Houston oilfield and refinery cases.
Recoverable Damages in an H2S Exposure Claim
Texas does not cap damages in an ordinary injury case, so an H2S claim is valued by the evidence rather than a statutory ceiling. The lasting neurological and respiratory damage in serious exposures can require lifetime care, and the lost earnings reflect skilled energy work.
An H2S exposure claim may recover:
- Past and future medical care, including emergency treatment, pulmonary and neurological care, and rehabilitation.
- Lost wages and lost future earning capacity, measured against skilled energy and industrial pay.
- Pain, suffering, and mental anguish, including the trauma of a near-fatal exposure.
- Cognitive and physical impairment for the lasting brain and lung damage exposure can cause.
- Loss of enjoyment of life for permanent limitations.
- Life-care costs for a catastrophic injury requiring ongoing care.
- Wrongful death damages when an exposure is fatal.
- Exemplary damages where the conduct was grossly negligent, capped under Section 41.008.[3]
A claim that settles before the neurological picture is clear almost always settles short. A free review is the fastest way to learn what your claim realistically involves.
What to Do After an H2S Exposure
The evidence that proves an H2S case is the gas-detection data and the safety plan, and the company controls both.
- Get full medical evaluation, even if you feel better. Pulmonary edema and neurological effects can appear hours later, so the exposure needs to be documented and monitored.
- Report the exposure in writing and keep a copy of any incident report.
- Identify the monitors and the plan. The personal and fixed gas-detection records, the H2S contingency plan, and the names of the crews and the rescue team are central to the case.
- Do not give a recorded statement or sign a release before you understand your rights.
- Call a Houston exposure injury lawyer quickly. The deadline to file is generally two years under Section 16.003, but the detection data and plan need a preservation demand long before then.[4]