The Essential Steps to Keeping Your Offshore Oil Rig Fatality Free

If employees feel comfortable reporting concerns to management and know they will be taken seriously, creating a safety-first culture will be easier. Consider rewarding employees who report potential hazards rather than responding negatively (or even punitively).

Fremont, CA: It is a hazardous job to work on an offshore oil rig, even when the conditions are favorable. It's for this reason that smart companies put such an emphasis on safety. In recent years, offshore oil rig fatality rates have steadily decreased due to a growing "safety first, job second" culture.

It's still possible to get injured or die on an oil rig, whether it's due to exposure to hazardous chemicals, falls, well site fires, explosions, or contact with equipment. You can prevent them by following these ten steps. Instill a Safety-first Mindset. It must be a top priority for all employees, supervisors, and managers to ensure workplace safety, especially on oil rigs.

Thus, it's in your best interest to continually remind everyone on the rig - including employees and subcontractors - about maintaining a safe working environment, including following all safety rules and regulations. Maintaining awareness of where all emergency equipment, such as firefighting equipment, is also important.

Setting a standard for safety depends on leadership that "walks the talk." Employees will follow a management that is committed to safety. However, if workers don't see their superiors following policies and procedures, they won't buy in.

Require Orientation

Employees and contractors become familiar with company and rig operational policies, expectations, and worksite rules through such orientation.

Train Workers Consistently

Orientation is followed by training, which is a continuous endeavor. A safety procedure manual is provided, as well as instructions on the machines and equipment being used. The consistent training you provide to employees demonstrates your commitment to safety and instills a safety-first culture.

Wear Required Personal Protective Equipment

Safety glasses, hard hats, gloves, steel-toed boots, respirators, and fire-resistant clothing are all required at all sites. The fact that they're not worn by all rig workers doesn't mean they're required.

In order to prevent injuries, quality protective gear is essential. When it comes to wearing equipment, it's better to wear it and not need it than to not wear it and wish you had it.

Implement a Positive Reporting Process

If employees feel comfortable reporting concerns to management and know they will be taken seriously, creating a safety-first culture will be easier. Consider rewarding employees who report potential hazards rather than responding negatively (or even punitively).

It is also important that the reporting process includes the right to stop work when a possible safety hazard is detected. Safety-first mindsets mean that protecting someone from a potentially life-threatening situation always trumps productivity.