Offshore work on oil rigs and natural gas platforms is lucrative but fraught with risks. Accidents, injuries, and even fatalities occur regularly in the industry. A new law in Louisiana aims to keep offshore workers in the Gulf of Mexico safer with mandatory beacons on life vests.
Jacob’s Law
The new law in Louisiana is known unofficially as Jacob’s law, for Jacob Matt. Jacob Matt was an offshore worker who died after a helicopter crash in 2008. His body wasn’t discovered for days. Many believe he would have been saved if he had been wearing a beacon with GPS.
Since he died, Matt’s family has fought for a law that would require offshore workers to wear life vests with signaling beacons. They hoped to prevent similar deaths. They succeeded in getting a bill passed in 2011, but it was never signed into law because of the high cost of beacons. At the time, they could be as much as $2,000 each.
The price has dropped to closer to $200 per beacon today, which made signing the law more feasible. The current law goes into effect on January 1, 2024. Signed in November 2023, the timing gave companies time to purchase beacons and train workers to use them. The law requires workers to wear beacons and the placement of beacons on helicopters transporting workers.
In addition to the lower price of beacons, another safety incident led to renewed interest in the law. In 2021, a lift boat capsized near Port Fourchon. Seven of the 19 people on board were never recovered.
Dangers in Offshore Work
Jacob’s Law highlights the inherent dangers of offshore work. Offshore jobs are considered to be among the most dangerous of all types of work in the U.S. and the world. Workers put in long shifts, use complicated heavy machinery, and work with toxic and flammable materials.
Offshore injuries can occur with machinery and equipment. Fires are a common cause of injuries and fatalities. Weather conditions can lead to falls, hypothermia, and drownings.
Although work on rigs and platforms is dangerous, the biggest risks come with transportation to and from these worksites. Workers are most often transported by helicopter to and from rigs and platforms located miles offshore. Some transportation occurs by boat. Both types of transportation contribute significantly to the risks of the job with numerous accidents leading to injuries and drownings.
This is why life vests with beacons are so important. Workers wearing beacons automatically transmit their location, so they can be recovered, and hopefully saved, sooner. Even if they are unconscious, the beacon will transmit.
Jacob’s Law could be life saving for many offshore workers in the future who are involved in transportation accidents in the Gulf of Mexico.
If you were injured in an offshore work accident, or you lost a loved one to offshore work, contact a maritime lawyer. They can provide legal guidance and explain your options for seeking justice and recovering damages.