As the oil and gas industry gains momentum, oilfield health and safety protocols must adapt accordingly. In this discussion, we explore recent developments in oilfield health and safety initiatives, ranging from collaborative safety efforts to innovations in voltage detection technology. Additionally, we address prevalent misconceptions surrounding the establishment of an effective safety culture.
What New Safety Innovations are Being Added to the Industry?
There are three primary areas of practice where innovations of the oilfield advancements in safety have emerged. These innovations and protocols are meant to improve safety that will reduce the number of accidents, and keep workers safe. These include electrical safety, risk assessments, and driving. So let’s dive in.
Electrical Safety Innovations
In an effort to mitigate the dangers associated with high-voltage electricity, service firms are adopting advanced technologies that enhance the separation between workers and electrical perils. The technology behind electrical field sensors is advancing rapidly. This means that it may not be long before technicians can detect any voltage without direct contact with the equipment.
Risk Assessments Innovations
When employees are on-site, they may encounter various safety hazards or near-misses without realizing it. To ensure employee safety, oilfield companies are increasingly prioritizing risk assessment. Instead of assessing risk only before starting work, personnel should continuously evaluate risks as work progresses and conditions evolve. This ongoing awareness and reporting process may be repeated multiple times throughout a project to address any changes in the environment or situation that employees need to be aware of.
Driving Safety
Lately, there’s been increased attention on driving safety within the energy sector. This focus has grown partly due to the uptick in activity across the U.S., especially in places like the Permian and West Texas, where the transportation infrastructure can struggle with heavy traffic.
To tackle the challenges presented by the high volume of trucks and semi-trucks on the road, driving coalitions are forming in specific regions. These coalitions bring together various oil and gas companies, even ones that are competitors, with a shared objective: improving driving safety for all their employees.
Health and Saftey Starts With You
For any improvements to the health and safety protocol, everyone must be engaged, but having committed management involvement, along with a designated champion, is paramount. When managers and supervisors lead safety training sessions regularly, it significantly enhances the acceptance of safety policies and procedures among employees. This involvement goes beyond just scheduled safety meetings. It also includes implementing continuous safety awareness initiatives throughout the year.
Focus on Continuing Safety in the Oil and Gas Industry
The perception and communication of safety within organizations play a crucial role in establishing a culture of safety at all levels of the company. This entails recognizing that safety should not be viewed just as an obligation imposed by external entities. Instead, it should be integrated into the overarching strategy for achieving excellence, driven internally by both managers and employees alike.
Creating an effective oilfield health and safety program requires safety to be more than just a task—it must become deeply embedded in the organizational culture. Companies that excel in this aspect often witness improvements in other areas of their operations. Demonstrating the correlation between safety culture and productivity, a study by Fabius, Thayer, and Dixon (2013) found a link between companies surpassing the S&P 500 and their adoption of exemplary health and safety programs.
In summary, organizations with a strong safety culture tend to be more efficient, productive, and capable of delivering higher-quality outputs.
Developing an Effective Health and Saftey Program
The oil and gas industry upholds stringent safety standards, often exceeding those of many other sectors due to the inherent risks involved in the work. Poor safety performance not only results in staffing shortages due to employee injuries but also jeopardizes the reputations of companies perceived as unsafe to work with.
When developing health and safety programs, it’s crucial to prioritize user-friendliness. While certain OSHA requirements must be met, the documentation should be written in terms familiar to the audience and readily accessible when needed. Involving employees in the creation of these procedures is vital, as those writing the documentation are often not directly involved in day-to-day operations.
While processes are crafted to guide behavior, it’s essential to consider that people are more receptive to change when it minimally disrupts their routine. Therefore, procedures should be designed with employees in mind, recognizing that an oilfield health and safety program’s effectiveness hinges on its usability by those who implement it.
Next Steps
Are you interested in learning more about the industry’s latest safety protocols? There is no limit to how much anyone should know about safety! Contact our experts to learn more about the standard of health and safety in the oil and gas industry.
