All oil and gas operations come with inherent safety risks. Hazards exist at every level of production, and it’s important to understand and mitigate those risks. While adequate safety measures must be in place on site, and adhered to, it’s just as important to consider individual safety.
What Kind of Hazards are Present During Oil and Gas Operations
Many of the hazards associated with industrial oil and gas operations have to do with the work site, the equipment in use, and the materials handled. There’s also hazards associated with human error. All of these things can make a site extremely dangerous for the people who make their living on them. Here’s a look at some of the more common hazards.
Equipment hazards
Large, heavy vehicles moving back and forth across the site creates conditions similar to those found on a roadway. These vehicles can run into or over people, disrupt physical structures, and run into each other. All of these scenarios can cause injury, death, or further hazardous conditions.
In addition, there’s the possibility for someone to become trapped in, struck by, or caught between machinery. The site should have safety measures and plans in place to ease the possibility of all these potential hazards.
However, at a personal, man-on-the-ground level, the proper safety gear can help to keep someone safe if they’re affected by a hazard. Even something as simple as safety footwear can mean the difference between painful annoyance and losing a foot.
Falling hazards
With people climbing things, working from platforms, and moving around in elevated equipment, there’s always the possibility of a fall. The site should have a proper fall prevention program in place.
For those working in such conditions, it’s important they wear the proper safety gear to keep the possibility of a fall to a minimum. For example, safety harnesses, hand protection, and safety footwear with good grip can go a long way to keep someone from slipping and falling.
Explosions and fire hazards
Fire, flash fires, and explosions represent one of the largest risks in the oil and gas industry. They can occur in several different ways, and can cause a tremendous amount of harm.
The site will have guidelines and safety measures to help prevent fire hazards, or lessen the possible damage from them. For workers on the site, FR clothing and safety gear are the best means of mitigating the possible damage a fire or explosion can cause them.
Dealing with Accidents
There’s far more potential hazards associated with oil and gas operations. A full safety and prevention portfolio must exist, but individual crew must also do what they can to diminish damage to themselves in case an accident does occur. The best way to do that on site is with proper safety gear.