Being an oil and gas worker has been described as “one of the most dangerous jobs in America.”
Maintaining workplace safety is important for any business owner, but even more so important for an industry like Oil and Gas.
At Blue Ridge Risk Partners, we take risk management seriously. Part of that risk management is providing our clients with the knowledge they need to ensure a safe workplace environment.
In an industry with so many diverse types of equipment and activities that pose an elevated risk to workers, it is important to find these risks and how to mitigate them.
Here are our top ten safety tips for supporting a safe work environment:
- Invest in a safety program that allows workers to collaborate. Encourage open communication and dedicate time to allow workers to complete safety training and get to know one another.
- Work with your local emergency response community. Develop a relationship and response plan with your local emergency response organizations.
- Install in-vehicle monitoring systems. Accidents from driving or riding in a vehicle cause the highest fatalities in the oil and gas industry. By installing a vehicle monitoring system, you can analyze driver behavior and correct poor habits or issues.
- Reevaluate and reassess safety signage when a project changes. When projects or worksites change it is important to review your safety signage. Are they still relevant? Did they do their job on the last project or was there an incident? By reevaluating your current safety signs during each change, you can decide if/where there are any gaps in risk mitigation.
- Monitoring Workers’ Mental Health Emotional and mental stress can lead to accidents. Establishing a strong workplace culture that recognizes emotional and mental well-being can help reduce the risks of workplace incidents. Many healthcare providers offer wellness programs. Encourage your team to take advantage of these. Wellness plans are becoming an integral to company benefits plans. Blue Ridge Risk Partners is proud to represent Go WV’s association benefits plans. If you’d like to learn more about this program and other offerings, please contact us at communications@blueridgeriskpartners.com.
- Communicate Clearly and Effectively All processes and procedures should be clearly outlined. If there is a change in workflows, professional training and communicating these changes can help cut incidents that may arise from confusion on new workplace practices.
- Stay on top of housekeeping. Keep all areas clear of unnecessary items to prevent trips and falls.
- Familiarize everyone with the worksite. Before work begins, make sure everyone understands their roles and responsibilities and all safety precautions. Require new workers to be trained in all relevant procedures.
- Use Labeling. By labeling items, you can clearly direct workers of the items intended usage. Also adding warning labels can help prevent incidents. Add color coding to make certain tools or equipment easy to find.
- Perform regular machine maintenance. You can put all the procedures in place and effectively communicate with your workers, but if your machines malfunction an accident could happen. Prevent malfunction by performing regular maintenance.
Safety protocols and requirements will differ by worksite and company; however, this is a common list that could apply to nearly any jobsite.
At Blue Ridge Risk Partners, our job is to help our clients mitigate potential risks while protecting their company and employees. If you would like to learn how we can help your company, please contact us at communications@blueridgeriskpartners.com.
Blue Ridge Risk Partners is a top 75 independent insurance agency in the United States. With 22 offices and counting throughout Maryland, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia and access to hundreds of carriers, we are able to meet your unique insurance needs.