Oil and Gas Safety

       The Oil and Gas industry is frequently making headlines. Most often they are featured due to the rise in cost of oil and gas but occasionally the media attention is given when disaster strikes the industry, such as the oil spill off the coast of Louisiana in April of 2010 and past incidents such as the Clearbrook, Minnesota pipeline fire in 2007 and the Texas City, Texas refinery explosion in 2005.  According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, in 2008, 120 people were killed in the oil and gas industry.  Though catastrophic incidents are rare, smaller incidents occur more frequently.  The most recent information from the Bureau of Labor Statics concludes that in 2007 there were 4,200 cases of nonfatal injuries of full time workers in the oil and gas industry.

 Safety is a very crucial topic in the one of America’s most dangerous profession.  To specifically address the conditions and risks relevant to the Oil and Gas industry, the SafetySkills™ Oil and Gas Exploration and Production series was created. This series of training is based on API; AESC; and IADC guidance, as well as OSHA’s published guidance. This training is available at http://www.safetyskills.com/oil-and-gas-safety. The series focuses on topics such as Basic Oil Rig Safety, Cold Stress for Oil and Gas, Fire Prevention, Hazard Communication, PPE and many more relevant topics.

    
       While recent statistics from the Bureau of Labor show that the numbers of nonfatal and fatal workplace injuries in the oil and gas industry are down since 2005, it’s not all about luck. Awareness and preparation is the key to maintaining a safe work environment.   SafetySkills™ offers OSHA compliant courses on many oil and gas related topics. For more information visit us at www.safetyskills.com.