American Oil and Gas Reporter - December 2024 - 64

SpecialReport: Industry Safety Strategies
The industry's safety efforts are resulting
in fewer injuries and illnesses.
From 2013-2022, the nonfatal injury rate
for every hundred full-time workers
dropped from 2.1 to 1.8 (Figure 1). For
many subsectors, including offshore and
onshore exploration and production, the
rate is even lower.
That data comes from the American
Petroleum Institute's Workplace Safety
Report, which is based primarily on information
from the U.S. Bureau of Labor
Statistics. Similar progress shows up in
reports from the International Association
of Drilling Contractors and the International
Association of Oil & Gas Producers.
That progress means more of our workers
can return home, unharmed, and able
to lead full lives with their spouses, children,
and communities. Today, it's rarer
than ever for an oil and gas worker to
lose fingers or suffer other injuries that
limit their ability to engage with the world.
Despite the remarkable progress the
industry has made, today's performance
still represents hundreds of injuries a year,
including many serious injuries and fatalities.
While we should take pride in our
accomplishments, we must also recognize
that we still have room for improvement.
Why Safety Matters
Whether a company is a small startup
that is only beginning to formalize its
FIGURE 1
Injury and Illness Incidence Rates
For All U.S. Private Industry (top) and the Oil and Gas Industry (bottom)
3.5
3.0
2.5
2.0
1.5
1.0
0.5
0.0
safety programs or a multistate operator
with decades of HSE experience, it can
make a compelling case to invest in safety.
From a moral standpoint, businesses have
an obligation to create an environment
where workers can complete their tasks
free from injury and return to their lives
without any negative impacts.
Safety also comes with numerous benefits
that affect profits. Companies with
a strong safety culture and a sterling
track record will find it easier to retain
current employees and attract new talent.
At the same time, they will minimize the
risk that an injury will lead to nonproductive
time and disrupt task completion
for hours, days or weeks.
Even a single safety incident can impose
significant direct and indirect costs.
This is true for all industries, not just oil
and gas. The National Safety Council estimated
that the total cost of preventable
injuries in 2022 was $805 billion.
Ultimately, studies show that companies
with better safety performance outperform
their peers across multiple metrics, including
profitability.
Driving Safety
According to the National Institute
for Occupational Safety and Health,
" transportation incidents are the leading
cause of occupational fatalities among
oil and gas extraction workers. " This is
unlikely to surprise anyone who has spent
time in the oil field, but it is something
that should be addressed.
While there are many programs and
technologies that oil and gas companies
can implement to make roads safer for
all, most companies should start with
driver training and certification. Drivers
should have recent defensive driving training
and proficiency in handling the vehicle
types they must drive.
Unfortunately, many drivers choose
to drive without buckling up, a decision
that often leads to crash-related injuries.
Reinforcing the expectation that all company
employees wear seatbelts is a must.
Many smart companies also have
adopted Journey Management programs
as a tool for reducing driving-related
risks. These programs prompt employees
to ask themselves:
· Am I well-rested and ready to drive?
· What is the weather forecast?
· Am I familiar with the vehicle and
the route I need to take?
· Is the vehicle in road-worthy condition?
·
Is there someone to notify upon
departure and arrival?
Like the pre-flight checklists that pilots
use, these questions remind drivers to
look for and address potential issues
before they are on the road.
IOGP has guidance on road safety
practices, such as Report 365: Land Transportation
Safety Practice. NIOSH also
offers helpful advice on road safety for
oil and gas operations.
New technologies built into light-duty
3.3
3.2
3.0
2.9
2.8
2.8
2.8
2.7
2.1
2.1
1.9
1.7
1.6
1.5
1.4
1.6
2.7
2.7
2.0
1.8
2013
2014 2015
2016
2017 2018
U.S. Oil and Natural Gas Industry
Source: API Workplace Safety Report (2013-2022)
64 THE AMERICAN OIL & GAS REPORTER
2019 2020
2021 2022
U.S. Private Industry
vehicles, such as lane departure warnings,
collision alerts and pedestrian detection,
can help avoid crashes. After-market technology
in the form of In-Vehicle Monitoring
Systems (IVMS) can detect speeding,
harsh braking, hard cornering and
other undesirable behaviors. Coupling
IVMS with in-cab cameras can be useful
not only for driver coaching, but also for
understanding causality and developing
more effective corrective actions.
When companies need to replace vehicles,
they can further reduce risk by
purchasing vehicles with exceptional
crash ratings from the Insurance Institute
for Highway Safety.
Numerous case studies show that applying
one or more of these techniques
reduces accidents' frequency and severity.
Incidence Rate Per 100 Full-Time Workers
American Oil and Gas Reporter - December 2024

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