The Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has cited Texas oil and natural gas well driller Patterson-UTI Drilling Co. for several violations and has proposed penalties totaling $47,600 for allegedly failing to protect employees from hazardous working conditions.

OSHA issued citations to the Snyder, TX-based company following a five-month investigation. The citations allege Patterson-UTI committed one serious, two repeat and one other-than-serious violation at the company’s Cheyenne, WY, work site. The company has 5,800 employees nationwide, with 28 located in Cheyenne.

A serious citation was issued for failure to provide employees with insulated tools. A serious violation is one that could cause death or serious physical harm to employees and the employer knew or should have known of the hazard, OSHA said.

Repeat violations include failure to provide training for employees working on or around energized circuits and equipment; and failure to de-energize electrical live parts prior to employees working on them, the agency noted. Repeat violations are issued when an employer has previously been cited for the same or a substantially similar violation that has become a final order.

In early 2005, OSHA cited and fined Patterson-UTI $187,000 for safety violations that led to a worker’s death.

An other-than-serious citation was issued to the company for failure to provide adequate signs indicating high-voltage hazards. Other-than-serious violations are issued when a violation has a direct relationship to job safety and health but is not serious in nature, OSHA said.

The company has 15 working days from receipt of the citations to comply, request an informal conference with OSHA’s Oklahoma City area director, or contest the citations and penalties before the independent Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission.

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