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Effective January 1, 2004, all Regular Members of PSAC with Alberta operations are required to have a basic safety program in place that has received a Certificate of Recognition (COR) or small employers COR (SECOR) as meeting provincial minimum standards. Alberta Human Resources and Employment and Enform (the certifying partner for the petroleum industry) issue a COR to companies for achieving the provincial minimum standards for a health and safety program. Companies registered in the Alberta WCB financial incentive program Partners in Injury Reduction (PIR) are eligible to receive up to a 20% reduction in their WCB premiums for implementing successful health, safety and disability programs and for achieving a COR. The move by PSAC to make a COR a requirement for membership is part of an industry-wide effort to reduce the number of injuries and incidents. Programs such as the COR have proved to be effective in reducing the number and severity of injury-related WCB claims. In 2005, PIR employers had a 23% lower overall claims cost ratio than non-PIR employers.
There have been a number of fatalities of workers entering confined spaces. In a number of these cases, there appears to have been no proper procedures in place for entering the confined space; entry to the confined space was not properly managed; and/or adequate rescue plans were not in place. WorkSafe BC offers a number of important Hazard Alerts on Confined Spaces.
Upstream Fire and Explosion Hazard Management To make available the research done as background to IRP18, the committee has developed www.firesandexplosions.ca. This site contains practical technical information about Fire and Explosion Hazard Management in the Upstream Petroleum Industry, as well as case studies and an analysis of the findings.
Slips and falls are a leading cause of Lost Time Claims, particularly among drivers in the WCB Category "Oilfield and Specialized Trucking" (WCB Code 50720). The PSAC Health & Safety Committee has developed a Fall Hazard Assessment Worksheet as a tool to assist employers and workers identify fall hazards and to raise awareness.
Fatalities and Injuries Resulting from Motor Vehicle Collisions The majority of motor vehicle collisions in the oil and gas industry occur on rural and lease roads The leading causes are: driving at an excessive speed, failure to obey traffic signs, and use of alcohol and other drugs. Failure to wear seatbelts is also a contributing factor in fatalities and injuries resulting from motor vehicle collisions.
Worker fatigue is a major contributor to injuries and incidents involving workers in the petroleum industry. PSAC worked with other industry associations to develop the Guide to Safe Work - Fatigue Management. The purpose of the Guide is to provide companies in the oil and gas industry with standard components to assist in program development or assessment of existing programs used for fatigue management.
Many operating companies have policies in place that require all workers on their sites to be equipped with personal LEL monitors.The Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers (CAPP) has developed a "Flammable Environments Guideline" for use by industry. The Guideline is for use in work situations where there is a need to minimize hazards of a flammable environment. The Guideline outlines a risk-based approach to ensure that worksites that have a potential of generating a flammable environment are identified and appropriate controls are implemented. The Guideline provides on-site worksheet tools that can be copied and used as documentation forms to assess a worksite task for potential flammable exposure and identify appropriate controls. A copy of the Guideline can be viewed on the CAPP web site at www.capp.ca under "Flammable Environment Guideline".
Testing for Alcohol and other Drugs Industry has developed an “Alcohol and Drug Model for the Canadian Upstream Petroleum Industry.” More details can be found on the Enform website at www.enform.ca
Industry Recommended Practices An IRP is defined as a set of best practices and guidelines compiled by knowledgeable and experienced industry and government personnel. IRPs provide guidance or best practices to conduct operations in a safe and technically acceptable manner. They must be developed to meet, or exceed, the minimum intent of the applicable legislation in each member's jurisdictions. IRPs are developed by industry professionals and intended as voluntary standards.
Safety Events Industry Recommended Practices
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