In 2010, I conducted ethnographic research at an oil rig construction site in Abu Dhabi, UAE. During this time, an Indian laborer fell from the rig and died. While this tragic event was unique in the course of my research, worker deaths, unfortunately, are not uncommon, and, on average, ten Indian workers died daily in the Arabian Gulf between 2012 and 2018 (Nayak 2018). When discussing the Arabic-speaking Gulf, the precarious conditions of laborers is often attributed to exceptional practices that are unique to the region and that are continued because the wealth garnered from oil rents hampers the development of liberal policies (Davidson 2009; Kamrava 2018; Longva 1997). This focus on oil rents as the source of illiberal labor practices obscures how oil companies actively restructure local governance (Mitchell 2011; Vitalis 2009; Watts 2004). The influence of oil companies is further obfuscated because few comparisons are drawn between oil production sites. As a result, accidents are seen as localized and exceptional events. Such an engagement with accidents during oil production muddies the role that oil companies’ legal and disciplinary practices play in shaping contemporary labor conditions and the ways in which states actively support corporate practices. In order to understand how oil company practices impact labor conditions and how this situation is not unique to the Arabic-speaking Gulf, this paper compares two oil rigs: the Deepwater Horizon in the Gulf of Mexico and the rig being built in Abu Dhabi. Drawing on ethnographic research and legal documents, this paper examines the commonalities and differences in the deployment of safety standards and contracting at each site. This examination demonstrates how contracting and safety regulations allow for corporations to shield themselves from financial and legal risk. In addition, this analysis highlights how states’ laws and regulatory bodies actively facilitate corporate practices and limit corporate responsibility. The consequence is that risk is displaced onto the most vulnerable workers and their families.