27 May Common Safety Hazards on Oil Fields
While working in the oil and gas industry can be a rewarding experience, it does come with its fair share of physical risks for workers. Therefore, it’s always good to know about common safety hazard on oil fields and take precautions to prevent them from leading to injuries and accidents. This knowledge could make a big difference for new workers and the jobsite environment as a whole.
Fires and Explosions
The flammable nature of oil and gas means that fires and explosions are a consistently present danger on oil fields. Fires and explosions can start from open flames, as well as the heat generated by friction, hot surfaces on the jobsite, and welding equipment. Due to this, workers should wear personal protective equipment and clothing that is flame-resistant. It may also be necessary to wear respiratory protection to prevent individuals from breathing in flammable gases. Furthermore, you should have careful procedures in place for handling and storing combustibles, as well as emergency plans that workers will know to follow if fires or explosions do happen.
Vehicular accidents can occur when oil field workers are driving with equipment to remote job sites. They are actually the biggest causes of death in the oil and gas industry. Oil workers must not only contend with factors, such as other unsafe drivers on the road and poor weather, but also with their own fatigue and the fact that they’re carrying large loads. It’s thus important to take this into account and limit consecutive working and driving hours for employees to ensure they aren’t overly tired and more likely to get in an accident while behind the wheel. Give workers enough time to sleep and educate them on how medications and alcohol can impair their driving abilities.
Elevated and Ground-Level Falls
There are various machines on oil fields that require workers to climb up to elevated positions. The oil rig itself is the most prominent example of a structure that calls for workers to move upward to guide others on the ground and perform repairs. Those who do need to climb are at risk of falling and getting seriously injured. For this reason, they must wear the proper protective equipment and use a harness to catch them in case they slip. Thorough training also helps to reduce the occurrence of these falls.
Ground-level falls are also common safety hazards on oil fields, particularly when workers are moving in dark conditions. They may trip over something on the ground that they didn’t see and get hurt because they were carrying a heavy object. The best way to combat this is to use effective oil field light towers. C-MOR’s Patented Mobile Tower of Light System is a great example of safe lighting. These towers are easy to transport and set up. In addition, our engineers have studied various job sites to ensure they can angle our portable LED light towers in precise configurations that limit shadows and slow light dissipation.
Call C-MOR today to rent the best lighting systems in the industry and make your oil field the safest it can be.