In 2014, 4,821 people were killed on the job, up 5 percent from the 4,585 reported in 2013 and the highest number since 2008, when 5,214 were killed, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
An open-flame heater on the floor of a rig likely sparked the fire that killed three natural gas drillers and seriously injured two others in a December 2014 drilling rig fire in Coalgate, OK, OSHA has concluded after an investigation.