Safety of the employees is the top precedence for any company. Particularly in Oil and Gas industry where geographic expedition activities carried out in Deep and rough environment with more sophisticated engineering to run into the market demand increases the hazard of employee wellness and safety. This study deals with possible jeopardies for employees involved in assorted operations carried out by undertaking companies in the Oil and Gas industry.
Contractor is one who provides adult male power and stuffs to finish a specified occupation, usually brought by the client to work in their premises. Before engage in work with client, a civil contract was drafted between contractor and client. The duties of client and contractors are clarified in the civil contract to run into the Health and Safety demands of employees involved. The first measure to guarantee wellness and safety prevarications in decently pull offing their duties.
The catching companies normally develop Health and Safety plans before commissioning their work. Each undertaking company has got their ain safety policies. In add-on to that, the contractor must develop their employees as per client ‘s safety policies to guarantee maximal safety. Any known risky status prevails in the work topographic point must be warned to the contractors. Contractors are more open to unsafe activities, consequences in more fatal accidents than operating companies.
Safety consciousness for workers is must to forestall hurts during assorted operations. Job Safety Analysis ( JSA ) is widely used in Oil and gas companies to cut down accidents. The risky occupation is reduced into sequence of stairss and menace involved in the occupation is identified. Based on the consequences, actions are implemented to minimise menaces such as occupational unwellness and environmental harm. JSA is usually written in the presence of taskforce involved, which consequences in increased safety consciousness and teamwork.
Potential Hazards for boring catching companies
During Rig up ( Derrick and constituents installing ) the hazard of stealing, stumbling and falling is more. Hence equal steps have to minimise and forestall the effects
Boring unstable readying may do detonation if non decently assorted. Inhalation jeopardies and physical hurt caused through contact with tegument
Hydrogen sulphide ( H2S ) is released due to the Hydrogen embrittlement of metals. As it is denser than air it can roll up in enclosed and low lying countries such as gas blowhole system, Mud system, Tanks and Pits. Hydrogen sulphide is highly toxic even in low concentration of 30 ppm ( Parts per million ) and has flammable features makes the working environment more risky. The Drill root trial after boring may besides do H2S to let go of.
Blow outs from reservoir may happen due to kick formation, during both boring procedure and bore stem trial carried after boring procedure could ensue in hurts and deceases. Proper good be aftering along with safety steps such as Blow out preventer ( BOP ) and review processs will assist to forestall the happening.
The dangers of fire, failure of offshore constructions, risky gas leak and detonations is moderately higher in Oil and Gas industry which increases the hazard of workers involved. Early sensing of leaks and supplying adequate separation distance between ignition beginnings and flammable stuffs help to cut down the hazard. All the installations installed in Oil and Gas industry are classified on the footing of working jeopardies involved in the environment. For guaranting maximal safety from potentially risky work, based on the degree of hazard ‘Permit to work system ‘ has been widely used in Oil and Gas industry.
The operator set policies and resources to guarantee wellness and safety. But the contractors besides have legal responsibilities to supply developing for their employees to fit the criterions required by client. The contractors are responsible for supervising the wellness of their employees. The personal protection equipment and work equipment issued by contractors has to run into the industrial criterions to guarantee wellness and safety of workers.
Fire protection is highly of import for Oil and gas industry as it handles big sum of flammable stuffs. Safety building begins with cut downing the complexness in design and it should hold to be simple and logical.
Health Issues
Most of the geographic expedition activities are carried out in highly diverse and distant locations.
Implementing Environmental manage system ( EMS ) will extenuate the effects of risky working environment, but employees working for longer working hours in the site are still vulnerable to the exposure.
Contracting employees frequently travel to remote locations where many waterborne and infective diseases are common. During seismal studies and boring operation the employees sustain the hazard of acquiring affected by infective disease due to nutrient, environment and insects.
The boring operation involves exposure of chemical and physical agents such as radioactive beginnings, boring clay and crude oil merchandises. During production the employees are exposed to of course happening radioactive beginnings, intervention chemicals, dissolvers and metals. Due to managing of these crude oil merchandises and oil field chemicals, employees are affected by assorted diseases. Noise and quivers besides can do inauspicious wellness effects such as hearing damage and high blood pressure.
Exposure to Benzene causes leukaemia. The industrial research organisation ( American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygiene – ACGIH ) has reduced the exposure limits for Benzene to 0.5 ppm ( parts per million ) from old credence degree of 10 ppm. It besides has confirmed Benzene as human carcinogen.
Exposure to assorted Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons causes lung, vesica, tegument and Gastro enteric malignant neoplastic disease. Refining and processing employees are more vulnerable to the exposure of elemental Mercury produced from Natural Gas.
During geographic expedition and production of oil and gas from some reservoir produce high concentrations of Naturally Happening Radioactive Material ( NORM ) in byproduct watercourses. Effective control steps will be required in these reservoirs to extenuate the wellness hazard of employees involved and to protect the environment.
The employee has to understand the existent jeopardies involved in the occupation for successful execution of any policies and processs. As human attitude tends to believe “ That will non go on to me ” , the wellness and safety processs have to be clearly educated through preparation, initiation programmes and meetings.
Involving workers in Health and safety issues achieved through safety meetings at regular intervals, tool box meetings ( conducted by immediate supervisor day-to-day before get downing work ) and through safety posting plans.
All offshore sites have a Health and safety commission which comprises of members from operators, contractors and staff responsible for wellness and safety. The wellness and safety commission analyses the work topographic point jeopardies and make solution to avoid or extenuate them. They include the preparation demands to work in the risky environment and besides conduct internal review and audits to guarantee the safety of equipments and work processs as per industrial criterions.
Employees besides have to collaborate along with the direction by non misapplying the commissariats given for their wellness and safety.
