What Does “Keep It Turning To The Right” Mean?

This video features Raymond Hatcher, a Medical Malpractice attorney based in Texas.

Attorney Raymond Hatcher | 888-364-6814 | Free Consult

There’s a common saying among workers in the oil industry, especially after an injury: “keep it turning to the right.” But what does that mean?

Raymond Hatcher is a trial attorney with Sloan Law Firm, which is based in Longview, Texas, and has offices in Houston and Santa Fe. He devotes his practice exclusively to litigation, and his areas of practice include truck accidents, car accidents, commercial litigation, toxic torts, ERISA claims, and workplace injury cases.

In this Quick Question, he explains how the origins of that phrase stem from oil companies’ reluctance to shut down operations, even when the workers’ safety is at risk.

To learn more, contact the attorney directly by calling 888-364-6814 or by submitting a contact form on this page. The consultation is free and confidential, and you owe no out-of-pocket attorney fees.

“Keep it turning to the right” refers to keeping the pipe and bit turning at all times to continue drilling the well.

This is a saying amongst oil field workers, referring to the habit of these companies to never cease drilling, even when injuries occur. Much like the phrase “the show must go on”, this philosophy is fine until a worker is severely injured and it becomes necessary to investigate the situation in order to prevent further injuries.

Unfortunately, it is rare for drilling to stop unless an injury or accident is bad enough to convince OSHA to investigate at the oil field itself. This attitude can lead to workers failing to seek medical care in a timely manner. Waiting to seek medical care for what might seem like a minor injury at the time can actually result in the injury worsening, while at the same time negatively impacting the worker’s potential for fair compensation.

Typically, oil fields are rife with hazards.

Unfortunately, there is a proven lack of overall safety awareness on oil fields and little concern for rectifying that lack of awareness. This results in a high rate of injuries for workers, which can be catastrophic with all of the heavy equipment and other hazards at work in this environment.

If you or a loved one are injured in an oil field accident, it is important to report the incident to the human resources (HR) department as soon as possible and contact an oil field accident attorney. These attorneys are well-versed in what is and is not acceptable in a safety culture on an oil field, and can help hold negligent parties accountable, even if it means pausing the rig until an investigation can happen and the injured party can receive adequate compensation for their damages.

To learn more, contact Raymond Hatcher directly by calling 888-364-6814 or by submitting a contact form on this page. The consultation is free and confidential, and you owe no out-of-pocket attorney fees.

Video Transcript:

Rob Rosenthal:

Do you know what "keep it turning to the right" means and how it's bad for you if you're hurt in an oil field? Here's what Texas attorney Raymond Hatcher says in this AskTheLawyers.com™ Quick Question.

Raymond Hatcher:

So when you're drilling a well, the pipe and the bit are actually turned to the right, and that's a saying in the oil field. Keep it turning to the right means don't let anything slow down the drilling of the well. In other words, every day that rig is on-location costs a lot of money, and they don't want any downtime, they wanna keep it drilling. If someone is injured badly enough and OSHA comes out there, yeah, they'll stop the rig, but if they can keep from stopping the rig and they can keep drilling, they're gonna keep drilling.

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