Offshore work in Louisiana carries real risk. Whether you work on a drilling platform in the Gulf of Mexico, a production vessel, or a fixed offshore structure, the people and companies responsible for your safety extend well beyond your direct employer. When an injury occurs, many workers assume their only options are a workers’ compensation-type claim or, if they qualify as seamen, a Jones Act claim against their employer. That assumption can cost them significantly.
In many offshore injury situations, a third-party contractor, subcontractor, or equipment manufacturer shares responsibility for what happened. Understanding when and how you can bring a claim against those parties is critical to recovering full compensation for your losses.
Who Are Third Parties in an Offshore Injury Case?
Third parties include contractors, subcontractors, and equipment makers whose negligence or defective products contributed to an offshore worker’s injury.
Offshore operations involve a complex web of companies working alongside one another. Your employer may be one contractor among several on a platform operated by a different company entirely. Other common third parties in these cases include:
- Crane and lifting equipment manufacturers
- Chemical and product suppliers
- Maintenance and inspection contractors
- Drilling service companies
- Transportation and marine vessel operators
If any of these parties acted negligently or supplied a defective product that contributed to your injury, you may have a legal claim against them separate from any claim against your employer.
What Laws Govern These Claims?
Depending on where the injury occurred and the worker’s employment status, offshore injury claims may be governed by federal maritime law, the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act (OCSLA), the Jones Act, the Longshore and Harbor Workers’ Compensation Act (LHWCA), or applicable state law incorporated through OCSLA.
The law that applies to your claim depends largely on where you were working when you were hurt. Workers injured on navigable waters may have rights under the Jones Act and general maritime law. Workers on fixed platforms on the Outer Continental Shelf are typically covered by the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act, or OCSLA, found at 43 U.S.C. § 1331 et seq. Under OCSLA, the law of the adjacent state, which for most Gulf workers means Louisiana, applies as surrogate federal law when federal law does not address the specific issue.
This matters because, in some cases involving fixed platforms on the Outer Continental Shelf, Louisiana law may apply as surrogate federal law to claims involving third-party contractors or equipment manufacturers. Depending on the location of the accident and the applicable legal framework, a negligent contractor may face liability under federal maritime law or Louisiana negligence law as incorporated through OCSLA.
Suing a Negligent Contractor
A contractor can be held liable for an offshore injury when its employees, equipment, or work methods contributed to unsafe conditions that caused the accident.
Third-party contractor liability is one of the most common and valuable avenues in offshore injury litigation. Imagine a maintenance contractor fails to properly secure equipment before your crew begins work nearby. Or a scaffolding contractor installs temporary structures that collapse. In both scenarios, that contractor, not your employer, may bear primary responsibility.
To succeed against a negligent contractor, you generally need to show that the contractor owed you a duty of care, that they breached that duty, and that the breach caused your injury and resulting damages. Louisiana courts apply these same negligence elements under La. Civ. Code art. 2315, which establishes the foundational right to recover for damages caused by another’s fault.
Importantly, the contractor does not need to be your employer for you to bring a claim. Third-party claims exist precisely because offshore worksites involve multiple companies with overlapping responsibilities.
Suing an Equipment Manufacturer
An equipment manufacturer can be held liable under Louisiana products liability law when a defective design, manufacturing flaw, or inadequate warning caused an offshore injury.
The Louisiana Products Liability Act (La. R.S. 9:2800.51 et seq.) provides the exclusive theories of liability against manufacturers for damage caused by their products under Louisiana law. Under this statute, a manufacturer is liable if the product it made was unreasonably dangerous due to a defect in construction or composition, an unreasonably dangerous design, the absence of adequate warnings, or the failure to conform to an express warranty.
Offshore worksites rely heavily on specialized equipment: blowout preventers, pressure vessels, lifting gear, personal protective equipment, and more. When that equipment fails and causes injury, the manufacturer may face liability even if the equipment was maintained and used correctly. You do not need to prove the manufacturer acted intentionally. Generally, you must show that the product was unreasonably dangerous under one of the theories recognized by the Louisiana Products Liability Act, that it was being used in a reasonably anticipated manner, and that the defect caused your injury.
These claims can be brought alongside, and independently of, any claim against your employer or a negligent contractor.
Why These Claims Matter So Much
Third-party claims allow injured offshore workers to pursue full damages beyond what employer-based claims alone may provide.
Workers’ compensation systems generally provide limited statutory benefits, while the remedies available in employer-based maritime claims vary depending on the law that applies. In some cases, third-party claims may allow injured workers to pursue additional categories of damages that are not available under workers’ compensation. Third-party claims against contractors and manufacturers operate under different legal frameworks, which can allow recovery for the full scope of your damages, including pain and suffering, loss of future earning capacity, and medical expenses not covered elsewhere.
For workers in the Baton Rouge area and across South Louisiana, where offshore employment is woven into the regional economy, these distinctions carry genuine financial weight.
Talk to an Offshore Injury Attorney at Big River Trial Attorneys
If you were hurt on an offshore platform or vessel, the question of who is legally responsible deserves a thorough answer. At Big River Trial Attorneys, we represent injured offshore workers throughout Louisiana and take these cases seriously. We encourage you to contact us directly to discuss your situation, or call us at 225-725-6000. There is no obligation, and the earlier you act, the better your ability to preserve evidence and meet applicable deadlines.
Last updated: August 2026
