Many of the worst workplace injuries, and the highest rates of workplace deaths, occur at oil and chemical refineries.

Non-profit Prevent Chemical Disasters reported over 215 chemical refinery incidents in 2025, while the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that petroleum and coal products manufacturing recorded 7 workplace fatalities in 2024. Every month, the news announces new refinery accidents, and while the latest incident involving a Valero refinery has resulted in major injuries, many workers are killed or severely injured every year as a result of negligence.

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Why Refinery Injuries Are So Serious

Refineries are not like typical workplaces. Every day, workers exploit natural resources like petroleum or basic elements to create industrial and commercial compounds. However, turning basic elements like sulfur or hydrogen into suphuric acid, propylene or ethylene requires a delicate process. At each step, workers operate around flammable gases, corrosive chemicals, pressurized pipes and heavy machinery.

So when something goes wrong inside a refinery, chemical plant, or petrochemical facility, the result is usually severe trauma. These injuries can include serious burns, crush injuries, toxic exposure, broken bones, head injuries, or worse. However, these injuries do not happen by chance.

The Most Common Refinery Injuries

The following are the most common types of injuries sustained by refinery workers in Texas. This list is not exhaustive, and our refinery accident page here containes more information.

Burn Injuries

Burn injuries happen when flammable vapors ignite, hot lines are opened too early, steam escapes from pressurized equipment, or a chemicals splash during transfer, cleaning, or maintenance.  Burns may be thermal, from flames, or from steam like the three workers hospitalized after a steam release at the Exxon Beaumont Refinery in February. In serious cases, a worker may suffer both external burns and internal airway damage from inhaling superheated air or smoke.

Toxic Inhalation and Chemical Exposure Injuries

Chemical exposure worker deaths represent over 50,000 deaths anually in the United States, according to the Occupational Health and Safety Organization (OSHA). Around 190,000 illnesses per year are the result of chemical exposure incidents. OSHA have linked these illnesses to cancers and diseases of the heart as well as stomache, brain and nerve damage.

Even when a worker survives the initial exposure, the medical consequences can continue for months or years. Some injured workers develop lasting breathing problems, chronic irritation, or other complications that do not fully appear on the day of the incident.

Explosion and Blast Injuries

Explosions can throw workers across a structure, collapse surrounding equipment causing crush injuries, ignite a fire, or send toxic debris into nearby crews all at once. However, one often overlooked aspect of refinery explosions is that many workers are injured indirectly, not by the blast. Many workers panic and fall, or slam into objects as they attempt to move away from the explosion – such was the case in the 2019 Exxon Baytown explosion.

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Generally, blast-related injuries include severe burns, broken bones, brain injuries, and severe cuts.

Wrongful Death

In the worst case, any of the above scenarios can result in the wrongful death of a worker. When that happens, companies are often quick to shift the blame onto the rest of the crew or the deaceased worker themselves.

How Do Refinery Injuries Happen?

Companies often tell workers that a system is safe to open, or that an evironment is safe to enter, or safe to repair, only for the opposite to be happen due to someone else’s negligence.

  • Fires and Flash Fires – Refineries process flammable hydrocarbons under heat and pressure. If vapor escapes and finds an ignition source, a fire can spread quickly through a work area. These incidents may begin with a leaking flange, failed valve, line break, hot work activity, or equipment malfunction.
  • Explosions and Overpressurization – Pipes can explode when flammable material accumulates, pressurized equipment fails, or workers fail to control a process upset in time.
  • Toxic Releases -A toxic release can happen when a line is opened, a blind is removed, a vessel is entered, or a system that was supposed to be isolated still contains hazardous material.
  • Hot Work Near Flammables -Welding, cutting, grinding, and other hot work can be extremely dangerous in a refinery if vapors are present nearby. An otherwise harmless spark can be the trigger for a catastrophic event. In fact, the Chemical Safety Board reported that “hot work” is one of the most common causes of worker death among cases it investigates.
  • Startup, Shutdown, and Turnarounds – Some of the worst refinery injuries happen when the plant is not operating under normal conditions. Startups, shutdowns, and turnaround projects are often playgrounds for accident-prone environments.
  • Rescue Operations – Rescue teams are often some of the most prone to injury. The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) says more than 60% of confined-space fatalities occur among would-be rescuers.

What to Do After a Refinery Injury

Anyone injured in a refinery or plant accident should focus on receiving medical care and documenting as much information as possible.

  • See a doctor. Read our article on questions to ask your doctor after you’ve been injured for more information on what to ask.
  • Report the incident through the proper channels
  • Follow up on all recommended care
  • Keep records of diagnoses, medications, and work restrictions
  • Save photos, names of witnesses, and any incident paperwork
  • Avoid assuming the first explanation given by the company is complete

Do not allow the company to assign blame to the worker, and especially do not sign anything accepting blame without first consulting with an attorney.

Hire a Texas Refinery Accident Lawyer in Houston

When refinery workers are hurt, it isn’t usually a simple accident; it’s the result of a long chain of negligence that resulted in serious injury or death. Any worker injured in a chemical or oil refinery needs to speak with a personal injury attorney immediately.

The Law Offices of Hilda Sibrian serve workers injured in Texas’ refineries, including across Houston and its surrounding areas. For over 22 years, Hilda Sibrian has worked clients suffering broken bones, burns, head injuries and the families of those whose loved ones have passed. Hilda Sibrian serves communities across Houston, Sugar Land, Pasadena, Baytown, The Woodlands, and surrounding areas. If you or a loved one has been injured by in a refinery accident, call Hilda Sibrian today or fill out our online contact form.

FAQ

  • What is the most common injury in a refinery? – Burn injuries are among the most common serious refinery injuries, but they are far from the only ones.
  • How do refinery explosions usually happen? – Refinery explosions often happen when flammable material escapes containment and reaches an ignition source. This can happen during maintenance, startup, shutdown, hot work, equipment failure, or improper isolation of a line or vessel.
  • Can a refinery injury involve more than one responsible company? – Yes. Many refinery injury cases involve multiple entities, including plant owners, contractors, subcontractors, and equipment-related companies. Liability often depends on who controlled the work, who created the hazard, and who failed to prevent the incident.
  • What should I do after a refinery accident injury? – Get medical care immediately, report the incident, keep records, and preserve as much information as possible. In a serious industrial injury case, early investigation can matter because evidence, work permits, and witness accounts may become critical.
  • Are toxic gas exposures in refineries always obvious right away? – No. Some chemical exposure injuries are immediate, but others may worsen over time. A worker may develop breathing problems, neurological symptoms, or other complications after the initial event.
  • Why are refinery injury cases so complicated? – Many refinery accidents often involve technical systems, and multiple companies. Determining exactly what failed (and proving it) often requires much more investigation than an ordinary injury claim.
  • Can a refinery fall injury be serious even without an explosion or fire? – Yes. Falls in refinery settings can lead to spinal injuries, traumatic brain injuries, fractures, and permanent disability. The surrounding environment often makes these incidents more severe than a typical workplace fall.