Separators run the well stream under pressure — and a failure is violent.
Production separators split oil, gas, and water at high pressure on the production deck. An overpressure, a ruptured vessel, or a relief-device failure releases hydrocarbons, sour gas, and energy in an instant.
Splitting the stream.
A separator receives the raw well stream and divides it into oil, gas, and water using pressure and gravity, operating as a pressure vessel with level controls, relief valves, and instrumentation.
Overpressure and release.
Overpressure from a failed control or blocked outlet, a corroded or under-inspected vessel that ruptures, a relief device that does not lift, and the resulting hydrocarbon or sour-gas (H2S) release, fire, or explosion. The injuries are blast, burn, and toxic exposure.
Which law — and who answers.
Production work crosses the line between vessel and platform, so the governing law turns on where you were.
The operator owns process safety on the facility — the design, the mechanical-integrity program, and the procedures. Its non-delegable duties and any retained control carry liability.
The contractor crews that run and maintain the equipment answer for negligent work; the borrowed-employee doctrine sorts out who controlled the job.
A defective separator, compressor, vessel, valve, or relief device supports a products claim, and an unfit system can render a vessel unseaworthy.
On a floater the crew are usually seamen (Jones Act); on a fixed platform the LHWCA/OCSLA and §905(b) vessel negligence apply. The firm preserves whichever route fits (Jones Act vs. workers’ comp).
Sound like your situation? Calling us is confidential, costs nothing, and starts nothing you don’t choose to start.
Text (713) 489-2297We trace the pressure.
The firm reconstructs the pressure history and the control logic, drawing on the explosion & fire, burn, and H2S analyses.
What the other side will argue.
Expect the familiar moves — the claim that the vessel held its set points rather than over-pressuring — alongside the standard fights over seaman status, comparative fault, and surveillance. The full Production defense playbook, with how each argument is met, is set out on our production operations page.
A pressure vessel keeps records.
Separators are inspected, pressure-tested, and run with documented set points and alarms, so an overpressure or rupture leaves a process-safety trail. The firm reconstructs the event with a process-safety expert, and the PSM file, the inspection and relief-valve records, and the control logs show what failed and what the operator knew. The featherweight causation standard carries causation.
A separator does not simply rupture — inspection, testing, or pressure control had to fail first.
What to protect first.
For this work the evidence is the process-safety (PSM) file, the inspection and relief-valve records, and the control logs — held by the company and routinely overwritten, so demand preservation in writing before it is lost, and get prompt medical care. The full first-days checklist is on our production operations page.
Where this connects.
Production Operations · Explosion & Fire · H2S Exposure · Fixed Platforms · Chapter 95
What happens when you text us
Tell us what happened — in your own words, as much or as little as you want.
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You decide. Nothing is filed, and no one contacts your employer, unless you choose to move forward.
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Reach out even if…
- You think the accident was partly your fault — under the Jones Act, your own fault reduces a recovery but does not bar it.
- You already gave a statement or signed something — a release signed under pressure can be challenged.
- You still work for the company — talking to a lawyer is confidential, and retaliation for pursuing a claim can itself be actionable.
- You’re not sure your case is “big enough” — that’s exactly what a free review is for.
Catastrophic offshore injury? The investigation can’t wait.
Equipment gets repaired, records get revised, and witnesses rotate off the rig. Doyle Dennis Avery LLP moves quickly to preserve the evidence and identify every responsible party. A case review costs nothing, there is no obligation, and your employer will not know you contacted us.
This page is general information, not legal advice, and does not create an attorney-client relationship. The law that applies to an offshore injury — the Jones Act, the LHWCA and \u00a7 905(b), OCSLA, the general maritime law, product-liability law, or another body of law — and the parties responsible depend on the specific facts. Prior results do not guarantee or predict a similar outcome. Doyle Dennis Avery LLP · Houston, Texas. This is attorney advertising.
