Contributed by the Texas Mutual Insurance Company, Loss Prevention Department
&
Sponsored by TxOGA Insurance Agency, Inc.

If you are an independent producer or other small-business owner, you may not have a full-time safety coordinator to help you identify and control those hazards. Fortunately, you can take six steps that can go a long way toward improving your company’s safety record and establishing an effective safety program.

Six steps to safety

1.Hire effectively. Your hiring process should include a written job application, reference checks, in-depth interviews, and pre-placement physicals.

2.Orient new employees. The owner of your company or the employee’s supervisor should introduce new employees to company policies, train them on how to perform their jobs safely, and show them how to use tools properly.

3.Train employees. Teach employees about the hazards of the industry, safety equipment, good housekeeping, company safety policies, and any other information necessary for safe work practices. Train employees when they are introduced to job tasks and when they begin working on new equipment. Reinforce the initial training with periodic reviews to keep your employees up-to-date.

4.Define and observe job behaviors. Statistics show that most workplace accidents are caused by unsafe acts. Train employees in safe work behaviors, and then observe them periodically to make sure they took the training to heart.

5.Establish accountability. Clearly define employees’ responsibilities with regard to workplace safety.Develop a plan for holding employees accountable, and put your plan in writing.Enforce your plan company wide. Start with management.

6.Teach good management methods. Well-trained supervisors manage well-planned jobs, and they ultimately produce safe, efficient and productive work places.Unfortunately, many supervisors rise to supervisory positions solely because of their technical abilities.They may not, however, have the human relations skills necessary to lead people to work safely and productively.Train your supervisors in human relations skills, behavior-based management, and their responsibility for safety.

Once you have established your safety program, you have taken a big step toward protecting your employees, but you can do more. Here are some tips to help you address some of the most common injuries and hazards in the oil and gas industry.

Strains

Anytime your employees lift, lower, push, pull, hold or restrain something, they run the risk of strain injuries. Use these tips to help reduce the risk.

• Provide and maintain lift-aid equipment. Provide forklifts, hoists, wenches and dollies. Make sure employees use them whenever possible.
• Teach appropriate body positioning when lifting. Sometimes, your employees have to lift things by hand. Teach them to avoid lifting from the floor, reaching away from their bodies, and carrying overloaded trays, especially in awkward positions. Make sure they ask for help if they have to lift heavy materials.
• Train employees.Provide regular training to employees on how to safely perform all job tasks. Focus on handling material, lifting, and using lift-aid equipment.
• Consider a stretching program. Appropriate stretching will help workers loosen muscles and avoid strain injuries.

Struck by

Oilfield equipment exposes workers to many moving parts, and those parts can cause “struck by” injuries. Your employees can be crushed by overturned vehicles, caught in-between moving parts, and hit by swinging backhoes or falling objects. Use these tips to help keep them in the clear.

• Provide personal protective equipment (PPE). Provide hardhats, gloves, steel toe boots and other necessary personal protective equipment. Make sure employees use them.

• Store material properly. Stack material carefully to prevent it from sliding, falling or collapsing. Provide toe boards and debris nets, where appropriate, and secure tools and materials to prevent them falling into work areas. Train employees to avoid working underneath loads.
• Inspect cranes and hoists. Make sure wire rope, lifting hooks and chains are in good condition. Do not exceed lifting capacity of cranes and hoists.

·Teach defensive driving.The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) reports that three workers are killed every day – more than a thousand a year – while driving, riding in, or working around motor vehicles in traffic. Truck drivers account for the largest number of vehicle deaths. If employees drive defensively, they can avoid many accidents.

·Develop a fleet safety program. Perform vehicle inspections and motor vehicle record checks, and review written driver objectives regularly. Provide reflective clothing for employees who work at night so drivers can see them.

Slips, trips & falls

Slips, trips and falls account for nearly 25 percent of injuries in the oil and gas industry. Keep walkways clear of oil, tools, cords, hoses, and other trip hazards, and follow these tips to help reduce the risk.

• Conduct pre-job inspections.Make sure steps and handrails are not loose. Provide guardrails and guards around work areas that are prone to slips, trips and falls. Inspect ladders to make sure they are in good condition and are not missing rungs. Cover open cellars and other holes on the jobsite.
• Provide PPE. Provide hardhats, gloves, steel toe boots and other necessary personal protective equipment. Enforce employee use of required PPE.
• Teach proper climbing technique.Do not allow employees to ride the traveling block hook or elevators, or slide down any pipe, kelly hose, cable or rope line.

Develop a hazard communication process

OSHA requires employers who use hazardous chemicals to have a written process to communicate those hazards to their employees. Introduce new employees to your hazard communication process, and retrain all employees once a year.

Make sure that your employees and anyone who visits your jobsite have easy access to material safety data sheets (MSDS) for every hazardous chemical they may be exposed to. If you get a chemical shipment with an incomplete, unclear or missing MSDS, immediately request a new MSDS from the chemical manufacturer, importer or distributor.

Use the MSDS to help you create labels for every container. Labels should include the identity of the chemical, appropriate warnings, and the manufacturer’s name and address.

Monitor Hydrogen Sulfide levels

Hydrogen sulfide (H₂S) is a natural gas that often smells like rotten eggs. It can cause minor eye irritation in small doses (200-300 parts per million) or death in large doses (500-700 parts per million).

Use a calibrated monitor to continuously monitor H₂S levels before you start working, and continue monitoring them throughout the workday. Train employees on how to work in areas where H₂S levels are higher than 10 parts per million, and provide proper respirators.

Choose the right respirator

H₂S is not the only respiratory hazard your employees may encounter. In fact, they are at risk anytime they work around dust, fumes, and other gases.

Select respirators based on properties of the contaminants, toxicity, exposure level, and the amount of oxygen present. Use an atmosphere-supplying respirator to provide clean air when:

·There is not enough oxygen in the area,

·You do not know the concentrations of contaminants, or

·Contaminant concentrations are Immediately Dangerous to Life or Health (IDLH).

Use air-purifying respirators to protect against contaminants prescribed by the filter, cartridge, or canister on the respirator, but only when there is enough oxygen present. Perform a fit test for any respirator with a tight-fitting face piece before initial use, and at least annually.

Reduce the risk of fires and explosions

Fires and explosions can erupt anywhere employees perform hot work, such as welding, cutting, brazing, soldering and grinding. Keep fire extinguishers readily available on the jobsite, and make sure they are properly charged and ready for use. Designate a smoking area, if possible, and only allow employees to smoke in the designated area.

Fire risks follow employees to the change room, laundry room and living quarters.Don’t let trash accumulate, and don’t allow clothing or rags soaked with petroleum or petroleum product to lie in heaps. Do not allow employees to smoke in these areas, and never clean the areas with gasoline or other petroleum products. If a mattress catches on fire, put the fire out, then pull the stuffing out to prevent a deep-seated fire.

Know the regulations

The Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA) General Duty Clause (Section 5(a)(1) of the OSH Act of 1970) requires employers to provide safe and healthful workplaces. OSHA’s general industry standards and Title 16 of the Texas Administrative Code address specific safety issues, permit-required confined spaces, material handling and storage, personal protective equipment, and hazard communication.

Visit OSHA at www.osha.gov/SLTC/oilgaswelldrilling/index.html for more information on oil and gas safety regulations. Use OSHA’s eTools to help you comply with the regulations and improve your safety program.

More information

The small business resource center at texasmutual.com has information that can help small businesses launch and improve their safety programs. Any Texas Mutual^® policyholder, including members of the TxOGA/Texas Mutual^® purchasing group, can visit the site’s safety resource catalog for information on fall protection, effective hiring practices, personal protective equipment, and other safety topics.