Ex-Shell worker sues, cites unsafe conditions

SEATTLE – A woman who was permanently injured while working on one of Shell’s Arctic drilling support ships has sued, saying the company compromised safety in its rush to drill for oil.

The lawsuit filed Thursday in U.S. District Court in Seattle by Anita Hanks said Shell and its contractor maintained dangerous work conditions on the Arctic Challenger as it prepared to drill in the Arctic in 2012. It was docked in Bellingham at the time of an accident.

Shell spokesman Curtis Smith said, “We don’t comment on pending or ongoing litigation.”

Shell’s Arctic drilling plans have been the target of protests by environmental groups, Native American tribes and others concerned about the fragile environment off the coast of northwest Alaska and the wisdom of pursuing fossil fuels instead of investing in renewable energy sources that don’t contribute to climate change.

According to the federal complaint, Hanks was hired to work on the Arctic Challenger as a “fire watch” in May 2012 by Shell contractor Greenberry Industrial, based in Vancouver, Washington. She said she was told that Shell had ordered work on the vessel completed by July.

Her new boss told her in order to meet that schedule, “we would have to agree to 16-hour work days as necessary, or be replaced,” the lawsuit said.

Hanks said she was trying to hold up a fire blanket when a defective ladder collapsed. She fell and broke several bones in her leg. She had to undergo several surgeries and was partially disabled, she said.