It is not unknown that the oil and gas industry falls under the category of a high-risk working environment. There are many elements involved in employing workers on oil and gas rigs that need to be seriously considered by any safety professional in order to ensure the safety of all workers. As a result of this hazardous environment, there are UK regulations in place that are particularly suited to this industry. With this in mind, it is thought that there is no other industry that works harder to continuously improve their health and safety on site.
Here at EcoOnline, we understand the need to constantly improve health and safety in all working environments including the oil and gas industry. Here are our top tips from industry experts and publications to ensure the continuation of this high standard of safety.
Look At All Minor Hazards
Take nothing for granted; a small hazard can very quickly escalate into a big issue, particularly in such a close contact environment as an oil or gas rig. Ensure you are made aware when smaller incidents occur in order to get on top of the situation. During HSE inspections of oil rig environments, even a small cut is noted, and in-depth investigations are actioned to find a solution.[1]
Locate Underlying Causes
Major and minor hazards may be easily solved in the short term. However, in the long term it will be extremely beneficial in any industry to understand the underlying cause of such issues. This is the opinion expressed by the HSE in their offshore strategy. Perhaps this will mean increased training to ensure all employees know safety procedures or even enhanced communication systems between workers.
Communicate With Workforce
Who better to understand the working order of an oil rig than those who are working on it? Health and safety inspections on oil and gas rigs will always involve representatives of the workforce [2], therefore by communicating with your workforce you will gain a better understanding of where the risks lie when the workers are feeling uncomfortable with the work they are performing and how solutions can be put in place to resolve these issues.
Constant Learning
As with most industries, there is always something new to learn and room to develop. Health and safety within the oil and gas industry is no exception to this, industry expert Colin Leyden describes the need for oil and gas production to be “an end-to-end process, listening to delegates and taking learning from a practical experience, but also listening to what the industry needs.” [3] With constant new developments in safety equipment and risk assessment software, to ignore this would be to cause unnecessary risk to your workforce.
Analyze Performance
Through analyzing the data surrounding your health and safety, you can gain a greater understanding of where potential hazards could occur and develop solutions to prevent incidents before they even happen. Here at EcoOnline, we have seen impressive results from implementing analytical software, including a near 100% increase in pro-active safety reporting as our recent client case study reveals.
If improving your health and safety measures within your workplace is of a high priority to you then EcoOnline could be the perfect solution. Whether in the oil and gas industry or not, EcoOnline provides solutions to gather, analyze, and form solutions with data, in order to improve the safety of your organization and ultimately improve the health and wellbeing of your employees. We work with you to find the right solution as your partner in QHSE.
For more information about how we can help you see results, get in touch today.
Sources:
[1] http://www.workplacesafetyadvice.co.uk/oil-rig-safety.html
[2] http://www.hse.gov.uk/offshore/offshore-delivering-strategy.pdf
[3] http://www.thejournal.co.uk/business/offshore-health-safety---very-6430507