The global oil and gas industry tallied 14 fatalities among member companies polled by the International Association of Oil and Gas Producers (IOGP), according to a new report. That number is down over 50% from the 2019 count of 25 deaths and almost 40% lower than the number in 2018.
The report, with 44 companies contributing to the safety data compared with 47 last year, said the 2020 fatalities occurred as a result of 12 separate incidents over the course of over 2.5 billion work hours. The count resulted in a fatalities per 100 million hours worked (FAR) of 0.55, a third lower than the 2019 mark of 0.82. In 2018, the FAR was 1.01.
Of the 14 fatalities, four were considered company deaths, while the remaining 10 were counted as contractor deaths. Eight of the 14 fatalities for 2020 occurred onshore, while the remaining six were offshore. Drowning was the largest contributor to the fatality statistics in 2020, with four fatalities in three separate incidents, accounting for 29% of the fatalities.
Lifting, crane, rigging, and deck operations were also cited as a large contributor to the fatality statistics, with four fatalities in four separate incidents. There were two activities with three reported fatalities—struck by (not dropped object) and explosion or burns.
The report found that the Line of Fire life-saving rule may have prevented the fatal outcomes in five incidents, while the energy isolation rule may have prevented the fatal outcomes of two incidents.
