Course:SPPH381B/TermProject/The Red Solo Cup/Hazards of Oil and Gas Extraction

Introduction

The oil and gas industry is continually growing worldwide, in 2006 in the U.S., there were approximately 380,000 workers employed in the field. The mining sector, which includes oil and gas extraction, experiences one of the highest fatality rates of all major industries. During 2003 to 2006, there was a fatality rate of 30.5 per 100,000 workers and nearly half of these were attributed to motor-vehicle crashes and workers being struck by machinery or equipment.

Incident	Rate
Highway-motor vehicle crashes	27%
Struck by tools or equipment	22%
Explosions	9%
Falls to lower levels	7%
Fires	7%

There is a correlation between the growth of the oil industry and an increasing number of fatalities, this may be due to an increase in inexperienced workers, longer working hours, as well as the use of any available rig, regardless of its safety designs and maintenance.

Highway-motor vehicle crashes

Recognition

The most prevalent cause of fatality in the oil and gas industry involves highway motor-vehicle crashes, which account for 27% of total fatalities. The oil and gas industry has six times the amount of motor vehicle crashes than any other industry. The cost of injuries and fatalities of motor-vehicle crashes cost employers nearly $60 billion USD from 1998-2000.

Evaluation

There are multiple factors that account for the high number of fatalities. These include travel to rural sites, low levels of seat belt use, and fatigue caused by irregular hours of work. A large portion of fatalities of workers were either the driver or passenger of a pickup truck, due to the inadequate regulation of such vehicles. Lack of seat belt use, amplified by industry culture, was also a prevalent factor in most injuries and fatalities. Fatalities were higher in workers of small establishments as they do not have as many regulations in place.

Control

The oil and gas industry needs to develop better guidelines to help employers manage road risk for their workers, especially when Federal Motor Safety Regulations do not cover areas of concern. OSHA has developed a document regarding guidelines for employers to reduce motor vehicle crashed that outlines ten steps for building a driver safety program in the workplace. A program of this type may be effective in reducing the number or motor vehicles crashes and fatalities in the trucking industry. The steps are outlined below:

1. Senior Management Commitment and Employee Involvement: Senior management can set policies, provide leadership, and create a safety culture
2. Written Policies and Procedures: Creation of a clear, comprehensive, and enforceable set of traffic safety policies and communicate them to all employees
3. Driver Agreements: Establish a contract with all employees that outlines the policies, procedures, and expectations regarding driver performance, vehicle maintenance, and reporting of violations
4. Motor Vehicle Record Checks: check driving records of all employees
5. Crash Reporting and Investigation: establish and enforce a crash reporting and investigation process
6. Vehicle Selection, Maintenance, and Inspection: vehicle should be careful selected and maintained to ensure safety
7. Disciplinary Action System: develop a strategy to determine the course of action after the occurrence of a moving violation and/or “preventable” crash
8. Reward/Incentive Program: develop and implement a driver reward/incentive program to make safe driving an integral part of workplace culture
9. Driver training and Communication: provide continuous driver safety training and communication
10. Regulatory Compliance: ensure adherence to highway safety regulations

Struck by tools or equipment

Struck-by incidents are the second most common cause of fatality among oil and gas extraction workers. Struck-by, caught-in, and caught-between incidents occur from sources such as moving vehicles and equipment, and high pressure lines. The causes can be further classified as mechanical (39%), pressure (39%), and gravity-dropped object (22%).

Fires and Explosions

Explosion and fire events can cause injury and fatalities among workers and is the third most common fatal event in the oil and gas extraction industry. Flammable materials such as hydrogen sulfide, hydrocarbon gases and vapors, and oxygen-deficient atmospheres are not uncommon in the oil extraction process. These sources can be ignited by static, electrical energy sources, open flames, lighting cigarettes, cutting and welding tools, hot surfaces, and frictional heat.

Falls to lower levels

Falls are a common cause of fatalities in the oil and gas industry and are amplified by the need to work at elevations and misusing or simply not using proper fall protection protocols. Two thirds of the workers employed in this field spend the majority of their time working at elevations. Falls can be due to many factors such as slippery, cluttered, and unstable working and walking platforms, unprotected edges, holes in floors and walls, unsafely positioned ladders, and misused fall protection.