Maritime Attorney Matthew Shaffer Discusses Transocean Safety Precautions with KHOU Houston

HOUSTON--A burning offshore oil platform sank into the Gulf of Mexico on Thursday, April 22, 2010 and 11 workers are still missing.

“There should be systems in place that would prevent a rig of this magnitude from exploding in the middle of the night”

Schechter, McElwee, Shaffer & Harris, a Houston-based maritime law firm, has over 45 years of experience representing victims of similar maritime personal injury cases and questions if the Transocean incident is due to poor safety training. The maritime personal injury firm believes that accidents like this occur because of a lack of emergency and escape training in the industry.

Maritime attorney and partner at Schechter, McElwee, Shaffer & Harris, Matthew Shaffer, appeared on KHOU-TV Houston to discuss the offshore drilling industry’s safety training efforts and workers’ level of preparedness. Shaffer has over 20 years of experience in maritime law and says that the first questions will be about training, safety protocols, and what Transocean did the keep this from happening.

“There should be systems in place that would prevent a rig of this magnitude from exploding in the middle of the night,�?? said Shaffer. “Something obviously failed.�??

Every crewmember goes through emergency procedure drills and preparation. The Petroleum Extension Service provides safety videos and programs to the entire offshore drilling industry, including Transocean.

“It is still very unclear what escape training these men were given,�?? said Shaffer. “Once we are able to do further investigation, we will have a better idea of what went wrong and how the systems should be improved.�??

Founded in 1964, Schechter, McElwee, Shaffer & Harris has been a strong advocate and representative for maritime personal injury victims. The aggressive trial lawyers have represented thousands of maritime personal injury and Jones Act cases, receiving outstanding recoveries for clients. The Houston-based maritime law firm represents victims of maritime personal injury, providing services in English and Spanish (Espanol). The team of maritime attorneys has over 100 years of combined experience in maritime personal injury cases and Jones Act seamen claims. Schechter, McElwee, Shaffer & Harris also handles auto accidents, construction injuries and refinery explosion cases in Houston, TX. The lawyers of Schechter, McElwee, Shaffer & Harris can be reached at 713.524.3500, by visiting http://www.smslegal.com, or via Twitter and Facebook.

Photos/Multimedia Gallery Available: http://www.businesswire.com/cgi-bin/mmg.cgi?eid=6263283&lang=en