The list below as summarized by sealnet.org shows some of the major energy accidents that have occurred within the last 30 years. The full 7 page report assesses risk associated with energy sector:

"Mining accidents in the Chinese coal mining industry suffered over 6 000
fatalities in 2004; in the first half of 2005, again 2 700 people died

In the North Sea, through the capsizing of an oil platform in 1980, and the
explosion of another in 1988, each time over 100 people died

The loss of oil tankers such as for example the Exxon Valdez near the Alaskan
and the Prestige near the Spanish Galician coast led to pollution of sea and
coastal areas

The explosion of a liquefied gas pipeline in Siberia in 1989 and of a tanker
carrying liquefied gas near a camping site in Spain in 1978 caused respectively
May 2006 600 and 216 fatalities

With the accident of the Chernobyl reactor (Ukraine, then Soviet Union), it's
not the 31 immediate fatalities that are of concern, but rather the fear for long-
term consequences, such as induced cancers, which are estimated with model
calculations, under a range of assumptions

With the breach of 2 dams, user primarily for hydro electricity in the Chinese
province Henan in 1975, 26 000 people died, while details of these accidents
where made public only years later"

Overall or in the final analysis, there are hazards associated with the energy industry. To minimize the frequency and impact of mishaps like the ones exemplified in this article requires prudent regulation, employee training, and quality oversight on a continuous basis. The major conflict or ethical dilema sometimes occurs at the executive level when directors place profits ahead of public/employee safety.